Investigators say one set of human remains was recovered after a three-day search in Southcrest.
SAN DIEGO — A 74-year-old man awaiting trial for a 2023 killing threatened to poke out his cellmate’s eyes and raped him decades ago, according to court records, as authorities this week said one set of human remains was found at the man’s former Southcrest address.
Why it matters now: The case ties together a violent criminal history, a pending murder prosecution, and a new discovery that could widen the scope of law enforcement’s work. Prosecutors have named Dwight William Rhone a person of interest after a multi-agency search at a Newton Avenue house he previously occupied. Officials say the remains, recovered after days of digging, have not been identified. Rhone is already jailed in an unrelated homicide and has not been charged in connection with the remains.
Records reviewed by reporters show the older case dates to 1980, when Rhone, then in custody, threatened a cellmate by saying he could gouge his eyes before attacking him. A later memo described a beating and forcible sodomy in a jail cell. Rhone was convicted of sex offenses in custody and ordered to register, a requirement he violated multiple times over the years. On Wednesday, as crews continued excavations at the Southcrest property, the district attorney’s office named Rhone a person of interest. “This is something that is extremely violent and unusual,” retired FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said of the homicide Rhone now faces in a separate case.
Investigators said the Southcrest search began Tuesday and continued for three days with the help of forensic canines and evidence teams. Yellow markers dotted the backyard as crews dug beneath the home and in the yard. A district attorney’s spokesperson said one set of human remains was recovered and turned over to the medical examiner. Officials did not say how long the remains had been there or whether they were linked to any known missing person. Neighbors described a heavy law enforcement presence and said the current tenants, who are not suspected of wrongdoing, were asked to leave during the search.
Rhone is charged separately with killing 54-year-old Bernardo Moreno in October 2023. In that case, prosecutors allege Moreno was shot twice in the head and his body burned near Interstate 5 and State Route 905. Court filings say an argument that began with a dogfight preceded the killing. Afterward, investigators say Rhone tried to use the victim’s debit card, robbed a woman in Carlsbad, and left behind items later tested for DNA. Phone records and letters recovered from jail are also part of the court file. The filings portray a defendant who, according to a prosecutor, committed “an almost incomprehensible number of crimes” over five decades.
Public records link Rhone to the Newton Avenue property through past civil filings, including a restraining order and a name-change petition. Relatives acknowledged his long rap sheet and said they were cooperating with authorities. Outside the house, residents said the dig reopened old fears about unsolved disappearances. “It’s scary to think about what they might find,” said one neighbor who watched investigators in hazmat suits collect evidence. Another neighbor said the tenants were visibly shaken but grateful to return after the search ended.
Officials said the medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to identify the remains and determine a cause of death. Rhone remains in county jail. He is scheduled to appear in court next week in the 2023 murder case. Authorities have not filed charges tied to the Southcrest discovery. Investigators said any further updates will follow the autopsy results and lab testing.
Author note: Last updated December 6, 2025.