SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Good morning, San Diego!
In this edition of The Streamline newsletter, we take a deep dive into both the personal and criminal life of Dwight Rhone, the 74-year-old person of interest in the Southcrest human remains case. Family members told ABC 10News about his troubling past.
Beyond the updates to that major crime headline, Michael Chen follows through on a woman's perseverance in a harrowing medical journey, a Scripps News consumer reporter gives tips for sticking to a holiday budget and meteorologist Megan Parry predicts a pleasant weekend ahead.
Time to dive in.
THE STREAMLINE
WATCH — ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Friday, Dec. 5 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY
Investigators are done digging at a Southcrest home where they found human remains this week, but the work to identify who those remains belong to, and who put them there, is far from over.
Investigators have cleared out of the scene at 3443 Newton Avenue, as it seems they're done digging in the backyard. Over the last several days, ABC 10News gathered a trove of court documents and spoke to family members of the person of interest, Dwight Rhone, to piece together his background.
WATCH: 10News executive reporter Adam Racusin spoke to Rhone's brother, who described him as "an unsavory character"
Additionally, we spoke to the current owner of the property that law enforcement agencies keyed in on.
He told us he evicted Rhone and paid him $2,500 to leave in July 2023. 10News also obtained a 2017 restraining order filed by Rhone's sister-in-law, Ernie Monia, who was the previous owner of the house. In it, she accused him of bringing people into the home, who she says were drunk or on drugs. When she confronted him, she says Rhone got angry and destroyed her bedroom door.
Monia also says Rhone repeatedly threatened her if she didn't hear him out about what he wanted to do.
That restraining order is just one document in a lengthy paper trail that spans decades. Team 10 investigator Austin Grabish examined hundreds of pages of court documents to make sense of Rhone's criminal history.
We are still waiting for an official press conference from law enforcement for new information about what they found on the property. Throughout the week, our journalists saw them digging up several holes in the backyard and crawling under the home.
A spokesperson told us it could be several weeks before the medical examiner's office identifies the remains.
Below, you'll find links to 10News' comprehensive coverage on this investigation so far:
- Southcrest neighbors describe ongoing search at home where human remains were found
- Accused killer threatened to poke cellmate’s eyes out before raping him: court filing
- Brother speaks out on human remains person of interest's troubled past
- New look at search for human remains in Southcrest, person of interest's nephew speaks out
- Man named person of interest after human remains found has violent criminal history, court documents show
- Person of interest named after human remains found in Southcrest
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS
CONSUMER
With holiday shopping officially underway, many families are feeling the pressure to find the perfect gifts without going over their budget.
NerdWallet’s 2025 Holiday Spending Report shows the average American plans to spend $1,107 on holiday gifts this season — $182 more than last year — making smart spending strategies more important than ever.
Experts say disciplined dollar tracking is essential as prices continue to rise. New data from Bankrate shows three out of four holiday gifts cost more this year than last.
“That’s what people are feeling. It’s the cumulative effect since the start of 2021; prices are up 25% on average,” Ted Rossman, Bankrate Industry Analyst, said.
WATCH: Jane Caffrey from the Scripps News Group gives tips on how to save during the holiday shopping season
WE FOLLOW THROUGH
Nearly a year after her harrowing medical journey began, Arisbeth Munoz couldn't stop smiling as she was fitted with her first prosthetic arm at a San Diego clinic.
The 40-year-old Logan Heights mother, who survived a life-threatening battle with flesh-eating disease, reached a major milestone in her recovery when she was able to transfer herself from a bed to her wheelchair using her new prosthetic right arm.
"Very happy, very happy," Munoz said as she used her wheelchair independently for the first time in months.
WATCH: Reporter Michael Chen speaks to Munoz about her new beginning
