St. Clair Shores mom arraigned in dismemberment of mentally ill son

Feb. 04--Eight months ago, Donna Scrivo sought guardianship and hospitalization for her son, Ramsay, who was diagnosed with psychosis and threatened to hang himself when his father died of a terminal illness.

Today, the St. Clair Shores mother is charged with the dismemberment and removal of her son's body, which was discovered in a grisly roadside find in bags last week in rural areas of St. Clair County.

Authorities haven't charged Donna Scrivo with murder and said they aren't able to comment on motive or time, cause and manner of death, which is pending further tests, in the unusual case. They also did not comment on whether there was other trauma to her 32-year son's remains.

"These charges are not the end of the case. We are working diligently on a murder investigation," St. Clair Shores Interim Police Chief Todd Woodcox said, adding that Donna Scrivo is charged with offenses authorities can prove. "We plan to bring more charges later. We charged what we could."

Authorities said they were not comfortable making the call on whether Donna Scrivo, a registered nurse, killed her son, saying they have a lot more work on the case.

But a few details surfaced in court, including that Donna Scrivo filed a missing persons report on her son Jan. 27, claiming he left the residence; that blood evidence and bleach were found at his home in the 23000 block of Gary Lane in St. Clair Shores, and that his blood was found in a sport-utility vehicle that was seen when the bags were being dumped.

St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon said there were five "scenes" in St. Clair and China townships, where remains and charred paperwork were found. He would not comment on the evidence or whether a murder weapon was found. He said charges in St. Clair County are possible.

Donna Scrivo, who appeared scared in court, is charged with disinterment and mutilation of a dead body, a 10-year felony, and removing a dead body without medical examiner permission, a 1-year misdemeanor. Her preliminary exam is set for Feb. 14.

Dressed in yellow Macomb County Jail garb, she answered yes or no to questions posed by Judge Mark Fratarcangeli in 40th District Court in St. Clair Shores. He said she would get a court-appointed attorney, ordered a psychiatric assessment and random drug and alcohol screening and said she is not to allowed to leave the state without prior approval.

St. Clair Shores Police Detective Margaret Eidt asked for a $500,000 bond and said Donna Scrivo was a flight risk with relatives in Texas and New Orleans. Investigators said <person>Donna Scrivo had a minor criminal past and only mentioned a prior retail fraud offense at a later press conference.

Doris Odren -- an 18-year neighbor of Donna Scrivo, who was staying with her son while her home on Rosedale was being worked on after a fire -- attended the arraignment for support.

"I can't get my head around this," Odren said, adding that Donna Scrivo loved and doted on her son.

Macomb County Probate Court records shed new light that the death of the family patriarch, Daniel Scrivo, last May had a great impact on the Scrivo family, especially his youngest son.

In May, Donna Scrivo, who turns 60 on Tuesday, filed a mentally ill petition for hospitalization for her son in Probate Court. Ramsay Scrivo agreed to hospitalization. Donna Scrivo -- a registered nurse, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs -- was also granted guardianship of her son, who a who a doctor listed as paranoid, delusional and suicidal.

According to court records, Ramsay Scrivo, on probation out of 40th District Court for simple assault, refused to take his medications and had paranoia and depression. His anger, according to a court file, "had escalated to unsafe levels" and Ramsey "has threatened to commit suicide."

His father's illness, the file said, "has had a drastic impact on him."

According to court records, Donna Scrivo believed her son had gotten into multiple fights because of poor judgment and indicated the police had been involved at least once. She said her son had once frightened a family friend, who he thought had poisoned him, by making threats, according to a report.

According to a report in June, Ramsay Scrivo indicated he planned to petition the court to terminate the guardianship in six months and planned to cooperate with treatment, including medication, and follow his mother's rules.

Ramsay Scrivo, who had a degree in accounting, briefly worked as an accountant, but resigned after a supervisor criticized his work, according to the report. He graduated from De La Salle Collegiate High School in 1999, received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Wayne State University and worked at Allstate Insurance in Roseville, according to neighbors and his public Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

According to court records, Ramsay Scrivo went into building construction trades after he left the accounting job and, just before his hospitalization started a lawn maintenance business.

The records indicate Ramsay Scrivo said he bought a condo in St. Clair Shores and started multiple renovation projects, which he hadn't completed. He paid for half of his living expenses, his parents had paid for the other half and, for years, he had given his mother money so she could pay his bills, according to a report.

It also states Ramsay Scrivo -- who admitted he once did not take prescribed medication for his anxiety because he didn't feel he needed it -- was taking medication at the time of the report and that he felt calmer and recognized he needed the medications.

But in September -- after Ramsay Scrivo said he thought someone had implanted a speaker in his tooth and removed a crown in order to remove the speaker -- another petition for hospitalization was filed in Probate Court. Doctors diagnosed him with psychosis and said he was paranoid. The petition was dismissed because he was discharged from the hospital, according to court records.

Donna Scrivo had filed a missing person's report on Ramsay Scrivo on Jan. 27, saying he had not been seen for about a day. She was arrested Friday. Police had been searching for a heavyset, middle-aged, white woman who was seen dumping garbage from her SUV in the area on Thursday.

Bagged body parts were found discarded in four locations. Police also recovered a fifth bag containing clothes and other nonperishable items. Surveillance footage from a store put a woman, believed to be the mother, in the area around the time the body parts were dumped, police said.

St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon told the Free Press that an autopsy has been performed, Donnellon said, but the results were incomplete pending the findings from toxicology testing.

St. Clair Shores Police Detective Sgt. Jay Cohoe said one limb remains missing, and authorities continue to look for evidence in the case. He said the evidence so far is leading authorities to believe the crimes occurred in St. Clair Shores, and investigators are focusing on the victim's residence in the 23000 block of Gary Lane.

After arresting the suspect, investigators from both departments searched two locations in St. Clair Shores, the Gary Lane residence and the mother's home in the 22400 block of Rosedale, police said.

Cohoe said police have had contact with the mother and son in the past, sometimes involving family trouble. He said the investigation is focusing on one person, but when asked if other people are involved, Cohoe said, "There's still many questions."

Staff Writers Marlon Walker and Gina Damron contributed.

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