Bristol DA Seeks Help Solving Cold Seekonk Murder Case

More than four decades ago, a Rhode Island woman working as a hotel clerk was found beaten and stabbed to death at the Susse Chalet on Rt. 6 in Seekonk. Now, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office is seeking the public's help in solving the cold case.

On the morning of August 20, 1979, Margaret Pizio, a 35-year-old woman from the Riverside section of East Providence, was found murdered at the hotel. The medical examiner at the time found that the manner of death was homicide. Pizio was the mother of four children, the oldest of whom was 13 at the time of her death.

The Seekonk Police Department initially investigated the case along with Massachusetts State Police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators considered robbery as a possible motive and developed persons of interest as possible suspects, but no definite suspect was identified. To date, no charges have ever been brought in connection with Pizio's murder.

The Bristol County DA's Unsolved Unit and state police are now reviewing all physical evidence collected in the case for testing and retesting. They are locating witnesses and persons of interest to determine if they are still alive and in the area, and pursuing all investigative leads.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact Massachusetts State Police Lt. Ann Marie Robertson at 508-961-1918, the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Cases Tip Line at 855-MA-SOLVE (855-627-6583), or by taking advantage of the DA's anonymous text-a-tip program.

To anonymously text a tip, text the word “Bristol” to the phone number CRIMES (274637), then just send a text message. The tip program is completely anonymous "and your personal information will never be seen by our investigators or anyone else," said the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III.