On June 12, 2024, Rain Mancini, 26, along with her partner Phillip Zilliot II, 25, and their two children, Karma Zilliot, 6, and Phillip Zilliot III, 5, were last seen in the Nottingham Trail area of Hudson, Florida. The family had been living with Rory Atwood, a friend, at his home on Nottingham Trail, but Atwood had evicted them on June 1 due to unpaid rent. However, on the evening of June 12, the family returned to the property to collect their belongings.
During their visit, the adults, including Mancini, Zilliot II, and Atwood, were drinking alcohol. An argument ensued, with witnesses reporting that the group started fighting. Atwood claimed that during the altercation, he and Zilliot II struggled over a firearm, resulting in Rain Mancini being shot in the torso and head, and Phillip Zilliot II being shot twice in the head. Atwood stated that both Rain and Phillip died in his living room.
Following the alleged shootings, Atwood admitted to dragging the bodies of Rain and Phillip from the living room to a fire pit on his property, where he burned them along with the bodies of their two children, Karma and Phillip III. Although Atwood did not explicitly admit to killing the children, he suspected that Rain and Phillip might have killed them themselves but could not provide details on how the children died.
The investigation began when a woman reported to authorities that her brother had seen bodies and a puddle of blood during a FaceTime call with Atwood, who was asking for help to burn "garbage." Deputies found a smoldering and smoking fire pit at Atwood's home and later discovered human remains, including small skeletal remains, human long bone fragments, and apparent human vertebrae.
Rory Atwood was arrested on June 15, 2024, and charged with first-degree murder. He has entered a not guilty plea and is being held without bond at the Land O’ Lakes Jail. The remains found in the fire pit have not yet been positively identified, but authorities suspect they belong to the missing family members. Atwood's account of the events does not align with the lack of injuries found on him, which has raised further questions about his version of the incident.
The family's disappearance and the subsequent discovery of the human remains have left the community in shock, with Mancini's parents expressing their grief and outrage over the brutal killings. An online fundraiser has been set up by the family to help cover funeral expenses as they await further answers and the formal identification of the remains.
