HUDSON, Fla. (WFLA) — Pasco County deputies found human remains in Hudson Saturday during a search for a missing family, officials said.
Deputies said they are looking for Rain Mancini, 26; Phillip Zilliot II, 25; Karma Zilliot, 6; and Phillip Zilliot III, 5. The family was last seen at about 12:30 a.m. in the area of Nottingham Trail in Hudson.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said human remains were found during the search, but the identity of the deceased is not known. He also said it is not yet known exactly how many bodies were found as of this report.
“We believe it may be this family, but at the same time, I can’t give a definitive until … the [medical examiner] gives us final confirmation that it is,” the sheriff said.
The 10-acre property where the remains were found is also still being searched, according to Sgt. Michael Rosa.
“We have a lot of resources that we’re gonna use,” Rosa said, although he did not give specifics on the measures being deployed.
Nocco said the sheriff’s office charged Rory Atwood, 25, with murder in the first-degree in connection with the human remains.
According to the sheriff, Atwood and his daughter was with the Zilliot family at a home belonging to Mancini’s mother, which was where the Zilliots were last seen.
“Per Rain’s friend, Rain, Phillip, and Rory were all drinking alcohol and they started arguing,” Nocco said. “Before leaving, Rain’s friend hears someone say, ‘because the last time this happened, you pulled a gun on us,’ referring to Rory. We do not have any police reports at about that.”
According to the sheriff, a friend of the suspect said they got a call at about 2 a.m. from Atwood who said he shot someone. Nocco said the suspect dropped his daughter off at her mother’s house at about 5:45 a.m. Wednesday.
By Thursday, the sheriff’s office got third-or-fourth-party information that Atwood may have killed someone, Nocco said. However, he said this lack of direct information hampered the investigation.
Friday, deputies contacted the families of the missing people — who told authorities that it was strange that they had not heard from them, although the victims were said to be somewhat transient.
According to the sheriff, Atwood allowed deputies to search the property where he was staying, which is where they found the remains.
While the medical examiner is still working to identify the remains, the sheriff’s office still considers the Zilliots as missing people. Nocco said he hopes there is a chance the children are still alive.
“We believe they may be on the property deceased, but we do not know that definitively,” the sheriff said. “And we will do everything we can to track them down. We pray to God they’re alive somewhere.”
Deputies did not have a description what they were wearing at the time. However, authorities did release their physical description:
- Rain Mancini — 5 feet 7 inches tall, around 240 lbs., with auburn hair and brown eyes.
- Phillip Zilliot II — 5 feet 10 inches tall, around 238 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes.
- Karma Zilliot — 3 feet 6 inches tall, around 65 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes.
- Phillip Zilliot III, 5 — 4 feet tall, around 65 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes.
If you know where they are or have any information on the homicide, call the Pasco Sheriff’s Non-Emergency Line at 727-847-8102, option 7, or visit PascoSheriff.com/tips.