Marcia Norman, the 82-year-old woman who was reported missing from her McIntosh Lake-area residence near Tenino on April 4, was found dead on an Olympia property associated with handyman and person of interest Jeffrey Zizz on April 9.
Norman’s remains were found “partially encased in concrete” and buried under a recently built shed on the property, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
The Thurston County Coroner’s Office confirmed the remains were Norman’s on April 10, according to the sheriff’s office.
Norman was reported missing by family on April 4, with family noting that they had not heard from Norman since April 1 and both of her vehicles were parked at her residence near McIntosh Lake, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
“Deputies responded to the home and discovered suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on April 8, noting that “the condition of the home suggested Marcia may have left abruptly — household tasks such as dishes appeared to have been left mid-process.”
Since the start of the investigation on April 4, “detectives have worked nonstop, interviewing witnesses, executing search warrants, and collecting critical evidence,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s office said in a news release on Tuesday.
During the investigation, detectives learned that Norman had dinner the evening of April 1 with her handyman, identified as Jeffrey Kian Zizz, 47.
“He is believed to have been the last person to have seen her,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
On Sunday, April 6, Zizz reportedly left the state using a friend’s vehicle — violating his conditions of release for an October 2021 Thurston County Superior Court case where he was convicted on two counts of second-degree child molestation and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
“While detectives pursued leads, Zizz fled the state, which violated his previous sentence conditions,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office stated Tuesday in the news release.
Zizz was arrested in Missoula, Montana, on a Thurston County Superior Court warrant for the conditions violation at approximately 1:11 a.m. on April 8, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Meanwhile, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office stated, “detectives discovered Zizz recently built a shed at an unrelated property in Olympia the day after Marcia Norman was reported missing.”
Detectives obtained power equipment to move the shed and excavate the ground beneath it on April 9, according to a news release.
Norman’s remains were discovered during the excavation.
Zizz was extradited back to Washington state on April 13, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
“Zizz remains in Thurston County Jail on a no-bail hold for his child molestation probation violation warrant while detectives finish gathering evidence,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday in a news release. “Zizz remains the primary person of interest in the ongoing investigation, and detectives are continuing to work closely with both the Thurston County Prosecutor’s and Coroner’s officers. Additional updates will be forthcoming.”
Detectives are asking anyone who has had recent contact with Zizz or who has information that could help them solve the case to contact the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Division at detectives@co.thurston.wa.us or 360-786-5530.
