MO MO - Salvatore Manzo, 60, Kansas City, 4 Sept 1987

The Doe Network:
Case File 1103DMMO

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1103dmmo.html

Salvatore B. Manzo
Missing since September 4, 1987 from Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.
Classification: Endangered Missing



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Vital Statistics
•Date Of Birth: April 17, 1927
•Age at Time of Disappearance: 60 years old
•Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'10"; 165 lbs.
•Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Gray hair; brown eyes. He wears bifocal glasses.
•Medical Conditions: He has a heart ailment.
•Dentals: Dental records available. Manzo has a partial plate.



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Circumstances of Disappearance
Manzo attended a 3:30 pm wake at the Passantino Funeral Chapel, 2117 Independence Avenue on September 4, 1987 and has never been seen again. His vehicle was located behind a grocery store at Independence and Paseo on the next day. Personal effects and clothing belonging to Manzo were located in area of Cliff drive and Paseo. He has ties to organized crime.



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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Kansas City Police Department
Detective David Ross
816-234-5136
Email

Agency Case Number: 87-122885

NCIC Number: M-272284754
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
Kansas City Police Department
NCMA

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200502805S

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/manzo_salvatore.html

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/347/0/
NamUs Profile:
Dental: charted and entered
DNA: Initial inquiry underway
Fingerprints: NA

Snipped case report from NamUs:

Circumstances Unknown. Salvatore was last seen at approximately 3:30pm in the vicinity of Independence Ave. and Garfield in Kansas City, MO. His Beige 1982 Oldsmobile Toronado was later located on September 25, 1987 behind a grocery store in the vicinity of Independence Ave. and Paseo in Kansas City, MO. Salvatore has a medical condition. Subject has ties to organized crime

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Only pay-per-view archived articles available.

Salvatore has been missing almost 23 years. Come home soon.

http://www.kctv5.com/story/23364321/bones-possibly-human-found-near-riverfront-park

We were discussing these bones in the Lisa Irwin forum. They were found close to where his personal effects were found but not sure if they've been confirmed as human.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article160023339.html

The Kansas City Times reported on Sept. 10, 1987:

“The pants, and possibly the shoes, of Salvatore Manzo ... were found by a family friend Wednesday afternoon. But Manzo, who was reported missing by his family on Saturday, was not in them.”

Manzo owned a place called the Sound Track nightclub on Independence Avenue. In 1978, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing 189 stolen wristwatches that had traveled from Little Rock, Ark., to Lenexa and Wichita.

Still, “he was a nice guy,” one acquaintance told The Kansas City Star shortly after Manzo disappeared. “Why would anyone want to do anything like (kill) him? Everyone liked Sal.”

He was last seen at a friend’s wake at Passantino Funeral Home. The next morning, his car was found parked near an Independence Avenue grocery, and then appeared his trousers in a trash can on Cliff Drive. The pockets were turned inside-out.

Soon, a shirt and some of Manzo’s pills for a heart condition were found in the area.

Sal was at Passantino's Funeral home that afternoon on Independence Ave. in Northeast KC. According to some accounts, he may have been involved in a dispute afterwards (assuming it was at the same location).

His car was found the next morning in a grocery store parking at the corner of Independence Ave. and The Paseo. That is literally down the street, less than a 10 minute drive.

He most likely left the funeral home in his own car. If he was abducted, it seems doubtful that someone would go back for the car and dump it down the street. It's a matter of whether he left in his car with someone or not. Did he leave on his own accord or was he forcibly abducted at the scene in his own car? Hence the "dispute".

-Did he drive straight to the grocery store (willingly or not) after leaving the funeral home?
-Did he drive to the store alone but was followed and then forced into another vehicle?
-Or was he forced to drive there from the funeral home by the abductor and then forced into another vehicle?
-Was the car left there at that moment or was it driven to wherever he was killed and then disposed there afterwards? Maybe because the abductor's car was there and it had to be retrieved?
-Maybe he never drove the car to the store at all and it was just dumped there after the fact.

These speculations may not have any relevance but still seems worthy of consideration. I just wonder how the car ended up at grocery store. It makes sense he went there on his own volition and met with foul play. Otherwise why wouldn't the car have been dumped a long ways from his known whereabouts that day?

These are the types of crimes that could likely be solved today with CCTV technology had it been more of a thing back in the day. At the funeral home, it would have revealed if he left with anyone and if indeed, there was a dispute. If the grocery store had a camera, it may have proven how the car ended up there and who was driving it.

The anonymous tip leading to the discovery of Sal's shoes and clothing is interesting. Why would someone involved want any evidence of a crime found? The mob's way of proving that he was dead? Why go through the trouble of discarding it in multiple locations? Why not burn it or bury it miles away where it could never be found?

Due to the considerable and renown amount of mafia activity in the area- some of which Sal was involved with- perhaps LE has the information they need, just lacking the evidence to prove it.

K.C. Mob Hit – Unsolved Mystery of Sal Manzo

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article160023339.html

Also, were the trousers the same ones he was wearing at the funeral?

Sal Manzo was a low level associate of the Civella family who ran organised crime in Kansas City and was involved with them in a skimming operation in Las Vegas casinos. He is not the only entry on Websleuths relating to this criminal operation. In 1980 Paul Douglas Cappo also disappeared (MO - MO - Paul Douglas Cappo, 30, Kansas City, 10 June 1980 (websleuths.com)). He was certainly related to this matter in some way as he was travelling to Vegas with Carl Civella, the acting boss of the KC mob.

Manzo's disappearance was almost certainly related to his mob activity, but whether it was anything to do with the skimming (which led to the KC mob leadership being convicted in 1984 and in which case Manzo was an indicted person), I do not know. But people involved with the Civellas and skimming seemed to have a habit of going missing.

I agree with some of the Artful Detective's comments above. Someone may have arranged to meet Sal at the grocery store down the street, then took him in their car to kill him.

The link above says Sal was on probation as part of the investigation into skimming casino funds in Las Vegas. Perhaps some people were concerned he might be talking to the federal agents. If so, they might have thought the easiest way to reach Sal would be at the funeral of one of their mutual friends.

All the relevant locations were in fairly close proximity, which makes me think all the activity took place in an area where the killer's felt somewhat protected while committing an abduction and murder.

Google Maps

Passantino Brothers Funeral Home is still in business. They even provide cremation services.

Passantino Bros. Funeral Home : Kansas City, Missouri : Burial & Cremation Services

Another option is that Sal never left the premises and his car was abandoned down the street at the grocery store. If a mob hit, it seems like they were sending a message.

Sal really was involved in some big-time skimming. He and others were indicted in 1983 for skimming $2 million from the Stardust, Hacienda, the Fremont and the Marina. Back then, the first 3 of those casinos were very big in Las Vegas.

Here's a story from a few days after he was reported missing. Local FBI was puzzled. Said he was a nice guy, didn't think he caused trouble for anyone.

16 Sep 1987, 3 - The Kansas City Star at Newspapers.com

Manzo was only convicted of illegal gambling (for being involved in a bookmaking operation). He served his time and got out in December 1985.

After that he was briefly detained by police when a gambling operation was raided by police, but they let him go.

Bagpus said:

Also, were the trousers the same ones he was wearing at the funeral?

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Good question. I don't think it was ever mentioned other than the family identified the clothing as his. It would be interesting to know though. If it wasn't the funeral clothes, then perhaps he had a change of clothes in the car? To change out of the funeral clothes after the wake. That would make sense because otherwise why was his clothes removed? His pockets were turned out. Was that done post mortem? Or did the killer make him empty the pockets and strip off the funeral clothes off at gunpoint? I believe I read somewhere that the clothes were left behind purposely by the mob as to let everyone know his fate.

TheArtfulDetective said:

Good question. I don't think it was ever mentioned other than the family identified the clothing as his. It would be interesting to know though. If it wasn't the funeral clothes, then perhaps he had a change of clothes in the car? To change out of the funeral clothes after the wake. That would make sense because otherwise why was his clothes removed? His pockets were turned out. Was that done post mortem? Or did the killer make him empty the pockets and strip off the funeral clothes off at gunpoint? I believe I read somewhere that the clothes were left behind purposely by the mob as to let everyone know his fate.

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Reading articles yesterday, they're pretty sure they found the shirt that he was wearing, too. I also had the impression his clothes were left to send the message he was deceased, perhaps so his family would know. He must have crossed someone, though.

Anniversary of disappearance today.

Still, “he was a nice guy,” one acquaintance told The Kansas City Star shortly after Manzo disappeared. “Why would anyone want to do anything like (kill) him? Everyone liked Sal.” He was last seen at a friend’s wake at Passantino Funeral Home. The next morning, his car was found parked near an Independence Avenue grocery, and then appeared his trousers in a trash can on Cliff Drive. The pockets were turned inside-out.

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Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article160023339.html#storylink=cpy

“I would call him an organized crime associate who participated in organized crime with the Civellas and others, but not an influential member,” retired FBI agent William N. Ouseley would later say. “He was a worker, a drone, not a prime player. “He was never known for violent activity.”

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