Who is Dwight Rhone, the person of interest in Southcrest human remains case?

The man named a person of interest in a large-scale investigation into multiple sets of remains at a San Diego property has a lengthy criminal history, and was already in custody when he was linked to the case, NBC 7 Investigates has learned.

Dwight Rhone, 74, was named a person of interest Wednesday in the investigation at Newton Avenue, near National Avenue and 35th Street, where he previously lived, according to law enforcement. Rhone was in custody awaiting trial in the death of Bernardo Moreno, who was found burned in a vehicle along State Route 905 in October 2023. Next week, he is due in court on charges of murder, attempted robbery, vehicle theft and identity theft.

In a sentencing hearing for an unrelated federal case in December 2024, prosecutors recommended that Rhone be sentenced to 37 months in prison due to his lengthy criminal history for dozens of offenses, including several as a juvenile, according to documents obtained by NBC 7.

Federal documents show Rhone has 33 prior criminal offenses between 1963 and 2021. They also show evidence collected in a case against Rhone arrested for a gun possession charge.

Rhone was linked to the Newton Avenue home in several court documents, including a name-change petition from 2022 and a Civil Elder Abuse Restraining Order case from 2017.

In the restraining order request, Ernie Monia — the property owner at the time and Rhone’s sister-in-law — said Rhone repeatedly allowed other men and women to stay at the home who appeared to be drunk or using drugs.

Monia told the court that only family was allowed to stay overnight. When confronted over this, Monia said Rhone became angry, verbally abusive, and at one point broke a door. Monia said Rhone told her, “I can have whoever I want at our home, I can have whatever drug addict I want there, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Monia said Rhone went on to harass and intimidate her for money. Monia feared for her own safety and said she needed the restraining order to remove Rhone from the home.

By July of that year, the judge granted a temporary restraining order, which gave the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office the authority to remove Rhone. It’s unclear from documents obtained by NBC 7 whether deputies physically removed him or if he simply complied with the order. In addition, the order mandated that Rhone not possess a firearm, though prior convictions already barred him from possessing firearms.

Several months later, Rhone asked the court to be allowed to get back into the home to collect some belongings, which the court did allow. However, at the hearing, Rhone apparently made a veiled threat against Monia, saying, “If she doesn’t give me my stuff, there’s going to be an incident.” The court admonished him for that comment.

The restraining order, which mandated that Rhone stay away from the Newton Avenue home, apparently expired in 2022. The current landlord told NBC 7 that he ended up evicting Rhone again because of criminal and suspicious behavior.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office described 74-year-old Dwight Rhone as a “person of interest” connected to the investigation at the Southcrest property. NBC 7’s Jackie Crea reports.

Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that investigators are looking into Rhone as a person of interest in connection with the deaths of multiple people, after multiple sets of human remains were located.

Investigators appeared to pull bones from the Southcrest property on Day 2 of the large-scale operation that began after California Highway Patrol became privy to information that led investigators to believe there were remains at the site, San Diego Police Department Lt. Travis Easter said. SkyRanger 7 spotted investigators with shovels digging in the backyard, collecting what appeared to be bones.

The investigation involves members of the CHP, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego police’s Cold Case division and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. San Diego police are leading the investigation and the FBI is assisting with evidence collection.