A grim discovery on a Florida man’s property has sparked fears that a missing family of four, including two young children, may have met a tragic end. Rory Atwood, 25, is currently facing charges of first-degree murder in relation to the case. Unidentified human remains were uncovered during a search operation led by deputies from Pasco County. The missing family has been named as Rain Mancini, 26, Phillip Zilliot II, 25, and their two children, Karma Zilliot, 6, and Phillip Zilliot III, 5.
In a press briefing held on Saturday, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco shared his suspicion that the unearthed remains could be those of the missing family. However, a definitive identification is still pending. Nocco stated, “We believe that they may be on the property deceased, but we do not know that definitively.”
According to Nocco, the investigation is still in progress, but it is believed that the family, Atwood’s daughter, and a friend of Mancini’s were all present at Atwood’s residence from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. An altercation reportedly broke out among the adults, who had been consuming alcohol. At around 2 a.m., Atwood is alleged to have made a panicked phone call to a friend, admitting to shooting someone.
Surprisingly, it took another 12 hours before anyone reported the incident to the sheriff’s office. Atwood eventually permitted a search of his 10-acre rural property on Nottingham Trail in Hudson, but no suspicious items were found.
As the investigation continued, deputies reached out to Mancini’s mother, who disclosed that she had not heard from her daughter since Wednesday and was unaware of her location. This led to the family being reported as missing. Further information revealed that Mancini and her family had previously lived on Atwood’s property and were there on Wednesday night.
In a bid to uncover more evidence, deputies revisited Atwood’s property on Friday night, aided by cadaver dogs and aerial units. They succeeded in finding human remains. However, due to the ongoing investigation, Sheriff Nocco refrained from divulging additional details. The task of confirming the identity of the remains will fall to a medical examiner.
While the family’s death has not been confirmed, the missing persons investigation remains active. Anyone with pertinent information is urged to contact the Pasco Sheriff’s Non-Emergency Line or submit tips online. No further details are available at this time.