Officials with the Catawba County Sheriff's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation are in Washington County, Utah, today, continuing the investigation into a quadruple murder in Conover on March 12.
"Crime scene specialists will process that scene, searching for information to bring closure to our end," said Capt. Roy Brown, with the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the agencies will review the Catawba County and Washington County aspects of the investigation. Utah is where the suspected killer, Chiew Chan Saevang, crashed his BMW in the early hours of March 18 before shooting and killing himself and his girlfriend, Yer Yang.
Meanwhile, the husband and father of the slain victims, Brian Tzeo, will likely remain in California for another week.
Tzeo left for California last weekend to bury his wife, Lisa, and his children, 4-year-old Cody, 18-year-old Pauline and 20-year-old Melanie.
Brown said Tzeo is with his brother, sister-in-law and niece in a suburb of Sacramento, Calif. He said the three women have been cremated, and Cody will be buried.
Although Tzeo initially planned to come back to Catawba County by the middle of this week, he asked if he could stay in California for another week or so, Brown said.
"He asked Monday to stay a little longer with his family, and we're in no position to have objections," Brown said, adding that Tzeo hasn't been charged with anything. "He may stay another week. I expected him to keep in touch with me and he is. He calls an average of three or four times a day."
Although it's been nearly two weeks since four members of Tzeo's family were murdered in their home, the impromptu memorial at the mailbox in front of the home on Gristmill Drive has grown larger.
The flowers initially placed at the mailbox are wilting, but recent visitors have placed a few fresh roses and carnations.
More stuffed animals have been left on the ground, including a monkey with a scarf in Pauline's favorite color, purple, wrapped around its neck. In the back of the memorial sits a blue Hot Wheels truck for Cody. Someone has taped a sign on the mailbox, with "Pauline, Melanie, Cody, Lisa. We love you! You will be missed tons." Photographs are on other notes, in frames and on the ground.
On the corner of the street, the stop sign has morphed into another shrine for the family. A solar light has been placed there, as well, so it will be lit at night. A piece of yellow Catawba County Sheriff's Office crime scene tape dangles limply from the signpost, along with a few deflated purple and black balloons.
Although Tzeo has admitted his involvement in drug smuggling, which law enforcement think is what led to the murders of Tzeo's family, officials have not charged Tzeo.
Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman has said there was nothing in the house to indicate Tzeo was involved in drug trafficking. Evidence that could have been used to pursue a case was stolen by Saevang the day he murdered Tzeo's family, Huffman said.
Brown said law enforcement thinks Saevang killed Tzeo's family on his own, and was not following anyone else's orders.
He added, though, that although Tzeo hasn't been charged with anything, he will likely still be investigated.
"The investigation will be ongoing, but we don't know how much will be done at the local level," Brown said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement