A handyman in Washington who previously pleaded guilty to molesting his own daughter has now allegedly killed an elderly woman and tried to hide her body in concrete beneath a shed, according to police.
Police arrested Jeffrey Zizz on suspicion of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and unlawful disposal of human remains relating to the death of Marcia Norman, 82, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
Norman was last seen by her family on April 1, and was reported missing a few days later. During their investigation, deputies learned that Norman had dinner with her handyman, 47-year-old Zizz, on April 1, and had not been heard from since.
Investigators traveled to Norman's home in Tenino, a city approximately 75 miles southwest of Seattle, and found evidence suggesting she "left abruptly." At the same time, Zizz had allegedly used a friend's pickup truck to flee the state, but he was tracked down and arrested in Montana on April 6 in connection with a previous sentencing violation, according to Law & Crime.
Observant neighbors told investigators that Zizz had put a shed together on a property that wasn't his in Olympia. The shed was reportedly erected the day after Norman was reported missing.
On April 9, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office had the ground under the shed excavated. The dig unearthed human remains that had been "partially encased in concrete." The bones were identified the following day as the remains of Norman.
After his arrest in Montana, Zizz was extradited to Washington to appear in court on a child molestation sentencing violation warrant. He was being held in custody without bond at the Thurston County Jail on the child molestation-related charges, but has since been charged for Norman’s death, according to investigators.
Investigators discovered that Zizz is a military veteran and the father of five children, according to KING5 News. They also learned that Zizz had formerly been a pastor at a church in Lacey, Washington, in 2019, according to the Olympian.
He was fired from the church after he allegedly turned himself in to police and confessed to an act of "sexual misconduct" in his home in October 2021. Zizz was arrested on nine charges, including the rape and molestation of his daughters, but a judge in 2022 only found enough probably cause to bring six of the charges to court.
Zizz pleaded guilty to three of the charges in October 2022, including one of the molestation charges, according to court records. He was sentenced jail, but was released after 11 months after meeting the criteria to qualify for the state's Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative program.
"This is one of the more disturbing cases we've come across," Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders told KING 5. "Disappointing. It's really disappointing."
Norman's family remembered her on Sunday.
"Our family has experienced the loss of our center. Marcia was the one that brought us together. We are thankful for the efforts of law enforcement..." the family said in a statement, issued through police. "Marcia was an engaged member of her community and family, full of life with plans for the future. She is loved by many."
