Police focus death investigation on missing Porsche

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - A silver Porsche is the focus of a homicide investigation we first told you about last night. Police investigating the death of 49-year old Dr. Philip Gattuso say he had severe injuries to his head, his home trashed, and his silver Porsche missing.

This is a picture of Gattuso's Porsche, with the license plates 2 KRYSIS. You're asked to call police if you see any silver Porsche Boxster around the area. Police think the car will lead them to a suspect.

The local dentist's body was found by a neighbor, who was contacted after Gatusso didn't pick up his 3-year old daughter from daycare. He did drop her off at about 8:30, but police say there are no reports of him being seen after that time. Co-workers say he was not at his office.

Gatusso partners with Todd Neils (nye-uls) at Great Plains Periodontics off south University. His home, and the scene of the crime, is just a few blocks away.

“Until we've made some more progress in this particular investigation and found out who's responsible and determined why, I can't guarantee everyone's safety, but again I don't believe there is any reason the community should somehow be panicked.”

But friends, patients and neighbors are worried and shocked, not only because of where this happened, but to whom it happened.

“It’s shocking to find it's someone you know and so close by, just hard to believe.”

This neighborhood of 12 condos is tucked away off the main drag of south University. It's quiet and almost hard to find.

That's part of why people who live here are so shocked that one of their neighbors, kind and soft-spoken, could've been the target of a homicide.

“Things like this make you think it could happen to anybody.”

Friends say Philip Gatusso was not just anybody. He was a loved dentist, friend and father.

“He cared about everybody, even if he didn’t need to, he still cared.”

Eric says his friend went through some hard times, losing his wife to heart problems earlier this year.

“You could tell it wore on him and depressed him.”

But Eric says, he was trying to move on, in part, for his 3 year old daughter.

“He loved her dearly, was the light of his life, was really all he cared about at this point was taking care of her and giving her the life she deserved.”

A community now waits for answers on another life which did not deserve to end so soon. Gatusso's three year old daughter is staying with a family-friend until relatives arrive from out of state. Gatusso also has two adult children who live out of state.