Grandmother's Remains Found Buried in Concrete, Handyman Convicted of Child Molestation Named Person of Interest

The remains of an 82-year-old grandmother were discovered in concrete inside a shed in Olympia, Wash., less than a week after her family reported her missing.

Police with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office found Maria Norman’s remains on the property built by her handyman, Jeffrey Zizz. Zizz, 47, has been named a person of interest and is being held in the Thurston County Jail for a “child molestation sentencing violation,” the sheriff’s office said in a release shared on Facebook Tuesday, April 15.

Norman was last seen on the evening of April 1 at her home off Military Road Southeast near Tenino, when she allegedly had dinner with Zizz, police said in a previous release. Her family reported her missing on April 4, after not hearing from her since April 1. Zizz fled the state and was picked up in Missoula, Mont., on an unrelated “sex offense,” per the sheriff. The handyman has since been extradited to Washington for further prosecution.

“Zizz remains in Thurston County Jail on a no bail hold for his child molestation sentencing violation warrant while Detectives finish gathering evidence,” the sheriff continued. “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 Offices.” 

Zizz once served as a pastor at Calvary Chapel of North Thurston in Lacey, Wash. The evangelical church terminated his employment upon his 2021 arrest, when he was booked on suspicion of nine criminal counts that included incest, rape of a child and molestation, per NBC News.

In 2022, Zizz pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree child molestation against victims between the ages of 12 and 14, the outlet reports. He additionally pleaded guilty to one count of communicating with a minor under the age of 18 for immoral purposes.

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He was eventually sentenced to 104 months behind bars and was released after 11 months to enter a treatment program that included several conditions, including not leaving Washington state.

Separate of whether Zizz is charged in Norman’s death and disappearance, he still faces  93 months of confinement for allegedly breaking the terms of his conditional release for his 2022 convictions.