Several sets of human remains have been uncovered at a property in California, the site of the former home of a man already in custody in a separate murder case, police said.
Dwight William Rhone, a previous tenant at the property, has been named a person of interest in the ongoing investigation, this one focused on a parcel of land in the Southcrest neighborhood of San Diego, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Wednesday. Rhone was previously arrested and charged with killing a man, identified as Bernardo Moreno, last year.
The remains were found earlier this week as part of a “cold case homicide” probe, authorities said. On Tuesday, officers spanning multiple agencies — including the FBI, California Highway Patrol and the city’s police department — descended on the property to serve a warrant. Sources close to the matter told NBC News “multiple sets” of remains were found amid their search.
“Detectives will be working with the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the identity of the remains and the cause of death,” San Diego police said in a statement Wednesday.
Rhone has been in police custody since his arrest last December for the murder of 54-year-old Moreno, who was found shot to death on Interstate 5 on Oct. 18, 2023, the Highway Patrol has said. Moreno’s body had also been set on fire.
Rhone was sentenced to two years in federal prison, after jurors found him guilty of one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition. Prior to his sentencing, prosecutors noted that he had a lengthy criminal history, with 33 criminal offenses from 1963 to 2021