On a quiet residential street in East Shoreham, a disturbing discovery has cast a shadow over the community. A body that was found last month underneath the pool cover of a local homeowner's swimming pool has been identified as Matthew Zoll, the man accused of fatally stabbing his father, according to News 12. Suffolk County Police had been on the hunt for Matthew Zoll since the November death of his father, 61-year-old Joseph Zoll, who was found stabbed in Rocky Point and later pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital.
In a twist of events, the homeowner who made the grisly find is reported to be a detective who was involved, in the manhunt for Zoll. This was confirmed to News 12. The body of the 23-year-old murder suspect was discovered by the homeowner on May 25, when removing the pool cover to prepare for the upcoming season.
While the Suffolk County Police Commissioner, Kevin Catalina, has not definitively confirmed the decedent's identity pending DNA analysis, he has indicated that all signs point to the body being that of the younger Zoll. "We are currently waiting for a DNA analysis to confirm that, but, you know, based again on all of the ancillary evidence that we were able to uncover, we are investigating that strong possibility," Catalina said in a statement obtained by CBS News New York.
The state of the body suggested it had been submerged for an extended period, complicating the process of formal identification. Neighbors have expressed their shock and dismay over the discovery, with Sharon Healey reflecting, "It's just so disturbing. You take your pool cover off and... I mean, what if there was young children around or the poor family?" – a sentiment of unease that reverberates within the local community, according to CBS News New York.
