Body identified as Boston club owner suspected killed by mob 23 years ago

By Laila Kearney

(Reuters) – Authorities have identified human remains found behind an abandoned Rhode Island mill as those of a Boston nightclub manager whose disappearance 23 years ago was suspected as a murder, and the FBI will now pursue a case that had gone cold.

Steven DiSarro, whose remains were unearthed in Providence in March, was believed by law enforcement at the time of his disappearance to be a victim of a mob murder even though his body was not found. No one was convicted of the crime.

“Our investigation will continue to pursue those responsible for Mr. DiSarro’s death in an effort to bring them to justice,” Harold H. Shaw, a Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent in charge, said in a news release on Thursday announcing that the remains had been identified.

The FBI declined to provide further comment on Friday, citing an ongoing investigation.

“We look forward to the conclusion of the FBI’s investigation so we can learn as much as possible about what really happened to Steven and finally get some closure for our family,” his widow, Pamela DiSarro, said in the statement.

DiSarro, 43 at the time of his disappearance, managed The Channel, a music club in South Boston.

Suspected mob boss Frank “Cadillac” Salemme had a hidden interest” in The Channel, the Drug Enforcement Administration said in a 2004 press release. He was suspected of murdering or aiding in DiSarro’s murder and burial after law enforcement officials launched an investigation into the club.

Salemme is suspected to have worked as a hitman before becoming the head of the Patriarca crime family, according to the DEA. Salemme, who is now in protective custody, took a plea deal in 2008 for perjury during the investigation of DiSarro’s suspected murder.

(Editing by Frank McGurty and Frances Kerry)