Investigators find human remains in fire pit during search for missing family

HUDSON, Fla. (TCN) -- Investigators recently discovered human remains they suspect belong to members of a transient family who went missing last week.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, 26-year-old Rain Mancini, 25-year-old Phillip Zilliot II, and their two children, 6-year-old Karma Zilliot and 5-year-old Phillip Zilliot III, were last seen on June 12. In a press conference, Sheriff Chris Nocco said a friend was with the missing family at Rory Atwood’s house that evening, and all the adults were drinking.

The friend reportedly said Atwood and the missing family got into an argument, which officials believe stemmed from the family’s unstable living situation. The Zilliot family had allegedly stayed with Atwood but often wandered from place to place.

In the early hours of Thursday, June 13, Atwood reportedly called a friend upset and frantic, claiming he had shot someone. Nocco said Atwood then called his child’s mother before dropping their 4-year-old daughter off with her.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 13, a woman called the sheriff’s office to request a welfare check because Atwood allegedly asked her brother to help him burn trash during a video call, in which he observed blood and the bodies of adults and children in the background. Deputies responded to Atwood’s home, where he allegedly told them he last saw the missing family walking away from his property on the night of June 12.

Investigators didn’t find anything suspicious at the time, but the affidavit says a fire pit in the backyard was "actively smoldering and smoking."

The following day, an individual called the sheriff’s office and said Atwood "admitted to killing his roommates and their children." Deputies responded to Atwood’s home for a follow-up visit. Atwood reportedly told the sheriff’s office he kicked out the Zilliot family and they had taken their belongings with them. However, investigators found some of the family’s possessions, and Atwood explained they "did not have time to take the items," according to the affidavit.

Investigators found a fire pit in the rear yard with "various unburned items on the top and ash and various burned debris at the base of the fire pit."

The affidavit says a cadaver dog found small skeletal remains inside the pit, which was around 10 feet in diameter. Investigators also reportedly found fragments and bones on the surface of the fire pit, as well as two possible human vertebrae.

Nocco said investigators suspect the remains belong to members of the Zilliot family, but they have not yet positively identified the victims. The family’s disappearance is still considered a missing persons investigation.

Detectives interviewed Atwood again on Saturday, June 15, and he allegedly confessed that the missing family members’ bodies were burned in the fire pit. The affidavit says Atwood told investigators Zilliot attacked him with a knife, and Mancini threatened his daughter. Atwood reportedly claimed as he and Zilliot struggled over a firearm, it went off and shot Mancini numerous times. Atwood then allegedly fatally shot Mancini. However, Atwood didn’t sustain any injuries from a possible struggle or fight.

The suspect also reportedly told investigators the couple killed their own children, but he didn’t provide a possible cause of death. The suspect allegedly dragged the couple to the fire pit, along with a blood-covered couch and a firearm.

Atwood faces one count of first-degree homicide, but additional charges are possible.

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