Rizzo Bone Mystery - July 1997
Usually Myself
July 10, 1997
Woman's Remains Difficult to Identify
By Joseph Barrios
Express-News Staff Writer
Medical investigators said Wednesday it could take weeks to identify the
remains of a woman found July 4 who they say was "chopped up" into small
pieces.
Police found the remains at the home of Monica Louise Rizzo, who was
reported missing May 5.
Medical investigators have determined the unidentified woman found in
Rizzo's backyard was killed, but they still have a long process before
identifying the remains, said Steven Hanson, Bexar County chief medical
investigator.
Hanson said he cannot speculate if the woman's remains are those of
Rizzo.
"Everybody is saying this could be that woman," Hanson said. "We'll
say that it's a woman, but that's as far as we're going. We're in the
process of trying to make an identification."
Medical investigators will have a tough time identifying the remains
found at Rizzo's house in the 4400 block of Forest Green because they do
not have a full set of dental records from the remains, Hanson said.
Officers called to the scene by an anonymous source found what appeared
to be chopped up human bones and a human skull, according to a police
report.
Using a search warrant, police also found an indentation about 6 inches
in diameter in the entryway of the house and "what appeared to be
smeared blood stains in the indentation as well as what appeared to be
blood splatters further down to the left of the indentation," the report
stated.
The skull's upper front teeth were missing and the lower jaw was
detached from the skull. No clothing was found on or near the body,
according to the report.
The report also stated there was a reddish-brown clump of hair next to
the skull.
Waiting for information about his daughter's fate is stressful for Bill
McKinney, Monica Rizzo's father.
McKinney describes his daughter as being 5-foot-3, weighing about 100
pounds with gray-blue eyes, light skin and reddish-brown hair.
He said details about his daughter's fate only trickle in. "It's
frustrating. We really knew nothing more than what everybody else did
on the Fourth of July," said McKinney, who believes his daughter is
dead.
But he said he is not sure if the remains are those of his daughter. "I
certainly don't want to."
Police were called to the Rizzo house once before after getting a call
that human bones were buried in the backyard. On June 5, officers found
cow bones buried in a different area from where the human remains were
discovered a month later.
When police arrived June 5, they found Leonard Rizzo, 45, Monica's
husband, overdosed inside the house, according to a police report. He
was transported to Southeast Baptist Hospital.
July 10, 1997
The Rizzo Mystery
by Randy Escamilla
It's now day six in one of the most bizarre stories in San Antonio
history. Dozens of one and two inch bone fragments, including pieces
that look like fingers or toes, have been found scattered across the
Rizzo's yard.
Wednesday night and early Thursday, police began searching neighbor's
yards for more human remains, but so far no word on whether they found
anything significant.
Archeologists sift through ashes found in a barbecue pit in the Rizzo's
backyard.
Working in the Rizzo's backyard since last Friday, University of Texas
at San Antonio archeologists sifted through ashes from a barbecue pit.
Police say the pit contains trace amounts of human remains.
University of Texas at San Antonio's Center for Archaeological Research
The archeologists have been called in to collect every piece of evidence
--specifically human bones. Archaeology is a specialty of anthropology,
which is the study of humans. This is the first time UTSA's Center for
Archaeological Research (CAR), led by Dr. Robert Hard, have helped San
Antonio police, although they have done work throughout the world. Back
in July, the team unearthed a Mayan tomb in Belize. Archaeologists can
see objects that look like nothing to others. They also can tell the
difference between a human bone and an animal bone - an important detail
at the Rizzo home.
The home where the bones are being found is located at 4454 Forest Green,
on the southeast side of San Antonio.
Police searched over fences in neighbor's yards, while a worker cut
grass and weeds that were at least 3 feet tall. Police want to make
sure everything is done correctly in this strange investigation.
Prominent criminal defense attorney, Roy Barrera Sr., says he isn't
surprised that San Antonio police are treating this investigation as a
serial murder.
"Somebody could have done this just for the thrill of it to see if he
could do it. I've had people tell me that they've committed offensives
of this type just to see if they could do it," said Barrera.
San Antonio Police Department
So far in this case, police don't know how the bones got there.
Investigators have confirmed that the body parts include the remains of
at least two humans. No one has been charged with a crime, and police
officially say no person has been singled out as a suspect in Monika
Rizzo's disappearance. Police add they haven't even established that a
crime took place. Authorities are hoping to wrap up this investigation
by this weekend, but nothing is definite.
Leonard Rizzo has said he wasn't aware of the human remains in his
backyard.
Leonard Rizzo, the homeowner, is staying with relatives until police
finish their investigation. Rizzo, 45, hasn't been charged. His wife,
44-year-old Monika Rizzo, has been missing since May. In July, bones
were found in the Rizzo backyard. Police have shed some light into
Leonard Rizzo's background. "Mr. Rizzo was a Bandido wannabe, was trying
desperately to become a member. I think that motorcycle gang has a
reputation for violence and trafficking narcotics. So at this point,
that increases our concern for the well being for Monika Rizzo," said
Deputy Chief Albert Ortiz, San Antonio Police Department. Some Bandidos
members reportedly have told police that Rizzo wanted to be a member of
the gang. Attorneys for Rizzo say he's cooperating with police and that
he doesn't know what happened to his wife.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Robert Hakala, who originally
led the police to the Rizzo home, now fears that investigators consider
him as a suspect. Hakala, 36, said detectives are demanding more details
about his relationship with the Rizzos. So far, DNA tests performed at a
laboratory in Dallas haven't identified the remains.
The Timeline
This strange case has had some twists in the last month. Here's a quick
timeline of the events surround this case:
Monika Rizzo was reported missing by her parents on June 5th.
June 5th: Monika Rizzo's parents reported her missing to police.
July 4th: Police got a tip, searched the Rizzo's backyard, and found
human skeletal remains.
July 18th: Police reported the lab results on the remains. They did 'not'
belong to Monika Rizzo.
August 1st: Police did more digging and found more bones--possibly
those of 3 people and a dog.
July 19, 1997
Jawbone New Twist in Rizzo Search
By Jaime Castillo
Express-News Staff Writer
A jawbone found in the backyard of a missing Southeast Side woman's home
is from an unknown woman, adding another unexpected dimension to the
Monica Rizzo case, police said. DNA test results returned from a Dallas
lab Friday caught police investigators off guard.
They were hoping that the sophisticated testing would give clues into
the disappearance of Rizzo, who hasn't been seen since May 26.
"The investigation has taken another twist," police spokesman Sgt.
Ernest Celaya said.
Despite the results, Rizzo's family members continue to believe their
44-year-old daughter was murdered.
"In my heart, I really wish she was missing, but I do not believe that
to still be the case," Bill McKinney, Rizzo's father, said. "My daughter
is a highly intelligent person. You can't tell me she would've taken off
like this."
Celaya noted that the findings from GeneScreen Labs Inc. left homicide
investigators with more questions than they had on July 4, when a set of
remains were found outside Rizzo's home in the 4400 block of Forest
Green.
Not only must police determine Rizzo's whereabouts, they also must begin
the painstaking task of identifying the new remains, he added.
What they do know is that the jawbone belongs to an adult female whose
remains were at least 60 days old when they were found. The woman's
identity, however, remains a mystery.
Upon receiving the results, investigators immediately compared the
findings to all existing missing-person cases involving adult woman in
San Antonio. There were no matches.
Investigators will continue to carry Rizzo's disappearance as a missing
person case and will not attempt to seek charges against her husband,
Leonard Rizzo, Celaya said.
"Mr. Rizzo has not been labeled a suspect," he added.
Homicide investigators are awaiting further results on the rest of the
bones found at the scene and from blood and hair samples taken from
inside the residence.
"We're still looking for Mrs. Rizzo. Hopefully, we'll find her alive and
well and she can shed some light on all of this," Celaya said.
--
God will pardon me. It's His profession.
--Heinrich Heine