A tragic incident has left a family of four missing in Hudson, Florida, with authorities suspecting foul play after human remains were found on a property in the area. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has charged 25-year-old Rory Atwood with first-degree murder in connection to the case.
The missing family includes 26-year-old Rain Mancini, 25-year-old Phillip Zilliot II, along with their two young children, 6-year-old Karma Zilliot and 5-year-old Phillip Zilliot III. They were last seen on June 12 near Nottingham Trail in Hudson.
According to Sheriff Chris Nocco, the human remains discovered on Atwood’s property have not yet been identified, but there is a strong belief that they may belong to the missing family. For now, the remains are being referred to as belonging to John Doe.
The events leading up to the disappearance of the family are still under investigation. Mancini was last seen being picked up by a friend from her mother’s house and taken to Atwood’s home on Nottingham Trail. The last contact with the family was when Zilliot II spoke with his mother over the phone around midnight on the same night.
There are reports that the adults present at the house, including Mancini, Zilliot II, and Atwood, were consuming alcohol and got into an argument. At around 2 a.m., Atwood allegedly made a frantic call to a friend claiming he had shot someone. However, law enforcement was only notified about the incident after 12 hours, and the information received was not first-hand.
Deputies initially searched Atwood’s property with his permission but found nothing suspicious on the rural 10-acre land. It wasn’t until a subsequent search that human remains were discovered, leading to Atwood being charged with first-degree homicide.
As the investigation continues, the sheriff’s office is urging anyone with information on the whereabouts of the missing family to come forward. The case remains active until the remains are positively identified. If you have any information, you can contact the Pasco Sheriff’s nonemergency line at 727-847-8102, option 7, or submit tips online.
The tragic disappearance of this family has left the community in shock, and authorities are working diligently to piece together the events that led to this devastating outcome. The details surrounding the case are still unfolding, and the search for answers continues as the investigation progresses.