Celebration, Florida Killing: First Murder Victim in Disney-Developed Community Identified
CELEBRATION, Fla. (CBS/WTSP) Matteo P. Giovanditto has been identified as the first homicide victim ever in the Disney-developed community of Celebration, Fla., the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.
Giovanditto, 58, was killed inside his Celebration condominium sometime over the Thanksgiving weekend, say investigators.
His body was discovered Monday by a woman who was checking on her neighbor, Osecola County sheriff's deputies said.
Detectives said the death is the first homicide in the Celebration community, a small, family-oriented community that was planned and developed by Disney in the early 1990s, reports CBS affiliate WTSP.
On Tuesday, deputies recovered Giovanditto's black 2008 Chevrolet Corvette in Kissimmee after someone called a tip line.
Giovanditto, a former teacher and Massachusetts native, moved to Celebration from south Florida in 2004, according to the Sun Sentinel. A neighbor told the paper that Giovanditto was working as a psychologist for challenged youths, but that information could not be confirmed.
"In this neighborhood it's a rare occurrence for the Celebration community, and we are working this as an isolated incident," said Twis Lizasuain, Osceola County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but investigators would not disclose its results, according to the Sun Sentinel.