The man named a person of interest in a large-scale investigation into multiple sets of human 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 in Southcrest, where he previously lived, according to law enforcement. At the time, Rhone was already in custody awaiting trial in a murder case.
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A capture of a federal court document laying out a case against Dwight Rhode, who is now a person of interest in another case involving human remains. The capture shows evidence collected in a case against Rhone for a gun possession charge.
NBC 7 Investigates pulled court records that show dozens of other criminal cases against Rhone and at least 12 felony convictions since 1970, including several as a juvenile.
Here’s what we know, so far.
Former tenant Dwight Rhone has been described as a “person of interest” connected to the investigation at the property. NBC 7’s Jackie Crea has more on the investigation.
The Newton Avenue home
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.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation say this went from remains being found to the bones of “multiple people.” NBC 7’s Dana Williams reports that although law enforcement have left the neighborhood, many questions remain.
Rhone’s return to Newton
The restraining order, which mandated that Rhone stay away from the Newton Avenue home, apparently expired in 2022. And in 2023, after Ernie Monia passed away, the house was put up for sale. The listing said the buyer would need to perform evictions and the current landlord told NBC 7 that he ended up removing Rhone from the home again because of criminal and suspicious behavior.
Around the same time in June 2023, Rhone was pulled over by San Diego police. Already a convicted felon several times over, San Diego police arrested him for what they said were two loaded handguns found in his pockets. He was charged and released on bail.
The Oct 2023 murder case
While out on bail in October 2023, Rhone is accused of killing Bernardo Moreno, who was found shot and burned in a brush fire along Interstate 5 and state Route 905 near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The District Attorney’s office alleges Rhone killed Moreno after their dogs got into a fight and Moreno stabbed Rhone’s dog to break it up.
Prosecutors say for weeks, Rhone drove Moreno’s truck with swapped plates, tried to use his debit card and attempted to rob a woman in a Carlsbad parking lot.
Rhone was formally charged with Moreno’s murder in December 2024 and has been in custody since. Next week, he is due in court on charges of murder, attempted robbery, vehicle theft and identity theft.
The body was found after crews responded to a brush fire. NBC 7’s Nicole Gomez has details.
The human remains case
Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation at the Newton Avenue home 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.
NBC 7 Investigates reached out to some members of the Rhone and Monia family, who declined to comment. A request to visit Rhone in jail was also declined.
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.