Details emerge about family in dismembered body case

St. Clair Shores woman accused of dismembering son, ditching body parts in China Township

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – Donna Scrivo is locked up.

Her bond was raised from $100,000 to $250,000 during an emergency hearing on Tuesday. Why? Investigators say Scrivo didn't tell the truth Monday in court about her finances.

Investigators say she dismembered her son's body, placed his remains in bags in St. Clair County's China Township and then tried to cover up the crime.

In documents just obtained by the Local 4 Defenders, surprising new information is detailed about the Scrivo family including a prior investigation that may soon be reopened.

Donna Scrivo moved in with her son last year after a fire at her home. Today, a dumpster remains in the driveway and now there are more questions about what happened at the home on the day of the fire.

According to police report, at the time of the fire Scrivo told police no one was home when the fire broke out. However, the documents from the Fire Marshal tell a different story. Not only was Scrivo home but so too was her son Ramsay. In fact, when the fire broke out Ramsay was asleep in the basement just feet away from where the fire started.

Investigators close to the case said at the time they believed a faulty hot water heater sparked the blaze. But now some are questioning whether this blaze was intentionally set and whether Donna was trying to harm her son. Police will only say they're looking into it.

Then there is Ramsay Scrivo's troubled past. Documents reveal a violent history and a dependence on prescription medication. Last year, when police responded to the home on a mental petition officers had to transport Ramsay to St. John Hospital. There was concern he took his father's morphine.

Then there was an incident involving a hit-and-run. Ramsay faced assault, trespassing and reckless driving charges after getting into a brawl in St. Clair Shores.

In 2013 Donna Scrivo's husband died, her house burned, she was dealing with financial problems and she was working to have her son placed in a mental hospital.

She will be back in court on Feb. 14.


About the Author:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.