Body of missing Washington state woman found buried under shed encased in concrete; handyman arrested

Police have arrested a man who worked as a handyman for an 82-year-old woman whose remains were found buried beneath a shed he built in northwestern Washington, several weeks after she disappeared, authorities announced Monday.

Jeffrey Zizz, who was originally arrested in Missoula, Montana, for violating the terms of a previous sentence for an unrelated sex offense, is facing charges in Washington of first degree murder, first degree kidnapping and unlawful disposal of human remains, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said. 

Marcia Norman was last heard from on the evening of April 1, her family told Thurston County sheriff’s deputies when they reported her missing three days later. A missing person bulletin said Norman had “disappeared under suspicious circumstances” from her Tenino home, where both of the woman’s cars remained parked after she disappeared.

She appeared to leave her residence in a hurry, with partially cleaned dishes left out, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators learned that Zizz, who worked as a handyman for Norman, had dinner with her on April 1 and believe he may have been the last person to see her alive.

“He told us they had dinner together. He’s not the average handyman to this family,” Thurston County Lt. Mike Brooks told CBS affiliate KIRO. “He’s a good family friend, so it doesn’t necessarily seem like having dinner together would be uncommon.”

But Norman’s son said he had once told him about an incident in which she woke up and found Zizz standing at the foot of her bed, according to KIRO. He said she never reported that incident to police, but rather confronted Zizz herself and said they would maintain a professional relationship, KIRO reported.

Zizz told police he returned home after the April 1 dinner, but security footage and license plate camera data showed he went back to Norman’s home several time in the early morning hours of April 2, according to KIRO.

As the probe into Norman’s disappearance continued, Zizz fled the state. His roommate reported him missing, leading to his arrest in Missoula, KIRO reported.

Investigators located Norman’s body April 9. Her remains were discovered beneath a shed in Olympia, not far from Tenino, which they say Zizz had demolished and rebuilt after Norman’s family filed their missing person report, according to KIRO. The remains were buried and partially encased in concrete.

Thurston County prosecutors said Zizz is serving a 93-month probation after nearly a year in prison for molesting a child, KIRO reported. They have asked a judge to revoke his probation, given the sentencing violation, and instead return Zizz to custody for 93 months, or over seven years, according to the station.