The family of a 74-year-old man named a person of interest after authorities found human remains at a California home is speaking out about his past.
Authorities discovered the remains during a search at a residence on Newton Avenue in the Southcrest neighborhood of San Diego on Tuesday. The San Diego County District Attorney’s office said Dwight Rhone, who once lived at the home, is a person of interest in the case. He is already in custody, charged with killing Bernardo Moreno in 2023.
Rhone’s older brother called him an “unsavory character” with a troubled history and drug use in an off-camera interview with ABC10.
But his niece, Antoinette Rhone, defended him, telling The New York Times he is a “good person” who supported her through high school and college.
Newsweek has contacted the San Diego Police Department for comment via email outside regular business hours.
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Why It Matters
Authorities have not revealed how many people the remains belonged to or whether the case is tied to the murder charge Rhone already faces. Their names and cause of death also remain unknown.
The discovery has prompted a multiagency investigation that could reexamine cold cases. It underscores concerns about unsolved deaths, the challenges of investigating cold cases, and public safety.
What to Know
According to his brother, Rhone’s struggles began early, when he was sent to a youth correctional facility. ABC10 reported that court records show he faced frequent assaults, sexual harassment by staff, and deep exposure to prison culture while there.
His brother said Rhone learned construction skills in a jailhouse trade school and found work but turned to crime after developing a drug problem.
“Dwight robbed my house like it wasn’t nothing, and I didn’t believe it, and I kept letting him come in,” he said.
The brother said the family let Rhone stay at the Newton Avenue house, which he said his wife owned and had allowed relatives to live in for years.
Ernie Monia, who owned the Newton Avenue home and died in 2020, received an elder abuse restraining order against Rhone in 2017, according to The Times. Antoinette Rhone, Monia’s daughter and Rhone’s niece, told the newspaper she believes her uncle is being unfairly smeared and deserves to be heard in court.
Rhone has a criminal history dating back at least 40 years and spent much of his life cycling in and out of incarceration.
He is accused of killing Moreno and burning his body after their dogs fought and Moreno stabbed Rhone’s dog, CBS 8 reported. He is charged with murder, attempted robbery, illegally taking and driving a vehicle, and using someone else’s personal information, a spokesman for the San Diego district attorney’s office told The Times.
The San Diego Police Department said the search occurred after California Highway Patrol detectives “developed information leading investigators to suspect human remains were on the property.”
Investigators with the police department’s Cold Case/Missing Persons Unit and the district attorney’s office joined CHP and the FBI in the search.
What People Are Saying
Suspect Dwight Rhone’s brother told ABC10: “Dwight’s not a savory character – he’s an unsavory character.”
Rhone’s niece Antoinette Rhone told The Times: “He took care of everything when I went to high school and college. He’s a good person. Whatever else is going on, I don’t know.”
What Happens Next
Rhone’s next court hearing in the murder case is scheduled for later in December.
The police department’s Cold Case/Missing Persons detectives and the San Diego County District Attorney’s office are investigating the remains found at the Newton Avenue home.
Detectives will work with the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the remains and determine the cause of death.
Anyone with information is asked to call the San Diego Police Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
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