Emily Beckwith Fazzino, Alex Fazzino: ‘Dateline’ NBC Probes Boone, Iowa, Case Of Mother Found Dead In Bathtub

Emily Beckwith Fazzino was found dead in her bathtub by her husband, Alex Fazzino, in January of 2012. This weekend, the mother-of-three will have her tragic story outlined on Dateline NBC. Friday night’s episode entitled, “The Quiet One,” will detail how a loving mother was found lying unresponsive in a tub filled with water, and how the police investigation focused in on her husband as the killer. But, could they be wrong? For those answers and more, tune in for tonight’s show.

https://www.facebook.com/datelinenbc/videos/10154042524026420/

Dateline NBC will begin their coverage with the frantic phone call that led the Boone Police Department to a home located at 1210 Southview Court in Boone, Iowa, where they found the body of a white female in her 30s in a bathtub at the home. The call was placed by her husband, Alexander Joseph Fazzino, who stated that he was watching movies with his children before discovering his wife lying unresponsive.

https://www.facebook.com/kcci8/posts/10153398995375079

Fazzino stated that when he first entered the bathroom, he saw water covering the floor and the bathtub filled to the brim. As he approached the tub, he could see the flow of his wife’s hair in the water with her head propped up against the tub on the faucet side. In a panic, he tried to get the body out of the tub, while at the same time, trying to get his children out of the bathroom.

The victim, identified as 34-year-old Emily Ann Beckwith Fazzino, was transported to a local area hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Emily Fazzino’s death looked like it could have been a terrible accident. In fact, Alex told police that his wife had been addicted to prescription drugs and was suicidal. An autopsy report for Emily Fazzino showed that she had bruises on her neck and head, but there was no sign of a drug overdose, according to Ames Tribune.

“Today, the State of Iowa Medical Examiner’s office released the autopsy results for our beloved daughter, Emily (Beckwith) Fazzino. We want to clear up some facts surrounding Emily’s untimely death. (Law enforcement) informed us that when Emily died, her body was drug-free. More importantly though, Emily did not commit suicide and she did not die of natural causes. As a result, we understand that the only possible causes of death are accident or homicide.”

In Dateline’s report, you’ll hear how Emily Fazzino met her husband in a bar, and that the two hit it off almost instantly. Emily hadn’t been used to dating, so it seemed that she was blissfully happy as Alex Fazzino swooped in to sweep her off her feet. But, as time passed, problems set in, and before long, Emily had filed for divorce. As news of her death traveled in community circles, neighbors believed that the mother may have committed suicide. Very few people in the neighborhood believed that she had been a victim of a homicide. And with no new updates, it seemed that the investigation had stalled.

Detectives say for over a year, they gathered evidence and scrutinized their case to make sure they had done a thorough investigation. Once they were sure they had done just that, they called a press conference, stating that they were charging Alex Fazzino with the murder of his wife.

At trial, defense attorneys theorized that Emily Fazzino had accidentally drowned due to a seizure. The prosecution countered that with a theory that the wife and mother had been strangled, which they believed was proven by the deep-tissue injury in her neck. The 2016 trial lasted about two weeks, before the jury found him not guilty, a verdict that grieved Emily Beckwith’s family. Alex Fazzino made the following statement after the verdict.

https://www.facebook.com/newsrepublican/posts/10153606088348163

“I’m going to go home and hug my kids. (Those are) my only plans. I feel like there’s an expectation I should be celebrating, but what people don’t realize is Emily’s still gone. My kids don’t have their mother.”

View the raw emotions that were felt in the courtroom after a not guilty verdict was announced.

Listen as Alex Fazzino explains to police what happened that terrible night.

Make time to watch as Alex Fazzino tells his side of the story tonight at 10/9 p.m. central on Dateline NBC. For extra reading, check out our coverage of the “UPS mother-daughter” killer that aired on Dateline last week.

[Image via Dateline/Facebook]