Why child molester connected to missing WA grandma case was out of prison
Sentence reduced for convicted child molester in WA grandmother disappearance
The body of a missing Washington grandmother was discovered partially encased in concrete and buried under a shed in Olympia. The person of interest in the case, Jeffrey Zizz, is a convicted sex offender that had been released from prison early.
OLYMPIA, WA - The convicted child molester, who is the primary person of interest in a missing Thurston County grandmother case, should technically still be behind bars.
Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputies report that Jeffrey Zizz was the last person with 82-year-old Marcia Norman.
Investigators said Zizz was Norman’s handyman, and the two had dinner together the night she vanished.
Family and friends reported they had not seen or heard from Norman since April 1.
Convicted child molester linked to missing WA grandmother case
Deputies have named Jeffrey Zizz, a convicted child molester, as the person of interest in the case of a missing grandmother in Thurston County.
What we know:
On Tuesday, deputies reported they had found Norman’s body encased in concrete and buried beneath a shed in Olympia, which is miles from her home in Tenino.
Investigators said the shed was built by Zizz the day after Norman went missing.
"We spoke to him a couple of times over the days, just trying to understand his interactions with her, their relationship, how often he’s known her, what he was doing at the house," said Lieutenant Mike Brooks with the Thruston County Sheriff’s Office.
Brooks said that Zizz was originally cooperative with investigators. He even willingly handed over the keys to his vehicle for the purpose of the investigation, Brooks said.
However, Zizz fled the state after investigators spoke with him, according to the sheriff’s office. He used his neighbor's truck to drive hundreds of miles to Montana, according to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.
This act was in violation of Zizz’s probation.
The backstory:
In 2022, a judge sentenced Zizz to more than eight years in prison for molesting children who were members of his own family.
The Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office tells FOX 13 Seattle that Zizz spent less than a year behind bars. The reason is Washington State’s Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative.
According to court documents FOX 13 Seattle obtained, both the state and the defense asked for the reduction in Zizz’s sentence.
The court documents state several reasons for the request, including the fact that Zizz was truthful when admitting to sexually assaulting the victims and that he had no previous criminal history.
The documents also said releasing Zizz would benefit the community, and Zizz would have to follow the terms of his release, including registering as a sex offender.
However, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs sex offender registry, he is not listed.
What they're saying:
FOX 13 Seattle reached out to Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders about Zizz's early release. He responded with this statement:
"The continual release of dangerous individuals into our community is a sore subject for me right now. No further comment."
What's next:
As of right now, Zizz is only a person of interest in Marcia Norman’s case.
However, because of his probation violation, he now faces his full eight-year prison sentence for his child molestation convictions, according to the prosecutor's office.
Zizz is in Thurston County Jail on a no-bail hold, for his molestation sentencing violation.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Thruston County Sheriff’s Office, the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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