MPD back at Zocco's former home in Kelly Dwyer investigation
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- It has been more than five months since 27-year-old Kelly Dwyer was last seen -- and her whereabouts remain unknown. FOX6 News has learned Milwaukee police are set to return to Kris Zocco's former apartment building on the city's East Side this week -- as their investigation into Dwyer's disappearance continues. On Wednesday, March 19th, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn gave FOX6 News an update on the investigation.
Surveillance video from the East Side apartment building shows Dwyer entering the building on October 10th, 2013. Dwyer and Zocco leave the building and re-enter twice -- but Dwyer is never seen leaving again.
A Milwaukee police detective has testified that Dwyer and Zocco were partying that night.
“He said she partied with him. Those are the words he used. That consisted of doing lines of cocaine. He said they may have smoked a bong, which meant marijuana — in a pipe used to smoke marijuana and that they were going to have drinks,” the detective said in court.
Dwyer’s mother has said Zocco told her he last saw Dwyer on the morning of October 11th — when she was leaving his East Side apartment. The apartment building's surveillance video never shows Dwyer leaving.
It was in that apartment that police say Dwyer and Zocco took drugs, and engaged in sex.
Zocco was initially arrested on drug charges that came to light during the investigation into Dwyer’s whereabouts -- when officials allegedly found drugs and drug paraphernalia at Zocco’s home.
Zocco faces five drug charges.
He was arrested again after police discovered child pornography inside Zocco's apartment. He has been charged with 17 counts of child pornography.
Zocco has never been charged in connection with Dwyer's disappearance.
Investigators searched a Menomonee Falls landfill for evidence in Dwyer's disappearance, and put up billboards seeking information.
On Tuesday, March 18th came an announcement police are returning to Zocco's former home -- the apartment building on Milwaukee's East Side. Zocco has moved out of that building -- and is currently staying with his parents in Richfield.
In an email obtained by FOX6 News, the Park Lafayette building's property manager sent out this message:
"Dear Residents,
The Milwaukee Police Department has recently requested the ability to conduct neighborhood interviews at our community, starting as early as (Wednesday, March 19th).
Their hope is to offer additional opportunity to anyone that lived in the community last fall that may have come in contact with Kelly Dwyer the chance to discuss or offer information related to her disappearance."
"Periodically, you do a re-canvas of a crime scene and see if anyone has any additional information. You can see if there are people you have not spoken to before. The very fact that we're out there right now this week re-canvassing indicates that we still consider this an active investigation. Some of (the residents) have been questioned already. I can't say that all of them were questioned the first time. It's an opportunity to perhaps get some folks who might not have been there," Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said.
Chris Malcom is a neighbor. He says while he's happy police haven't given up, he wonders why it has taken this long to re-interview people in his building.
"I think it's nice that they are actually looking into it more. Since they don't really know what's happened yet. I am a little frustrated that they haven't taken it to the next level and figured out what's going on," Malcom said.
The email sent out by the property manager on Tuesday says police will be knocking on neighbors' doors for the rest of the month.
It is an attempt to find new leads in a cold case that still sticks out in many people's minds.
"Hopefully they can figure out what's going on," Malcom said.
A source close to this investigation says police will likely re-interview everyone connected to this case.