Episode 9: The Mysterious Death of Louis DeFusco
In the summer of 1964, beloved father and businessman Louis DeFusco of Rhode Island decided to take a ride out on his boat. Some of his passions included fishing, golfing, and spending time with his family. On this particular evening, Louis had purchased a brand new set of golf clubs, indicating future plans. Louis had taken his boat out a marina in Warwick RI, and this was the last time he was seen alive.
For 12 days, nobody saw Louis, and concerns were rising. On the 12th day, Louis DeFusco’s body was found floating in Narragansett Bay. He had a bullet wound in his mouth without an entry point, and an anchor tied around his legs. Local authorities immediately ruled his death a suicide, despite the suspicious circumstances and the family’s insisting that it was not a suicide. Louis was currently in the process of divorcing his wife, and authorities believed this was an appropriate reason for him to commit suicide.
42 years later, the family of Louis DeFusco exhumed his body so that it could be moved to a family plot. Since the body was already dug up, the decision was made to perform a second autopsy. It was determined that the initial autopsy missed a critical point in Louis’ death… a bullet entry wound to the back of his head. This immediately changed the cause of death from suicide by drowning to homicide.
Unfortunately, there were still no answers in who killed Louis DeFusco, even 57 years later. One theory included the mob, as their presence was large in Providence, RI at the time of his death. However, this has never been proven.
Image sources:
abc6.com - “The Death of Louis DeFusco”
post-gazette.com - “Mystery of Rhode Island Man’s 1964 Deepens with New Autopsy”