St. Louis artist's widow asks authorities to look into death

ST. LOUIS -- The wife of a St. Louis artist who died working on a project five years ago has asked authorities to reopen the investigation into his death.

Melissa Giovanna Zompa Cassilly told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch she doesn't believe the death of her husband, Bob Cassilly, was an accident.

"I absolutely know that it wasn't an accident," Giovanna Cassilly said. "There were too many things happening that didn't make sense all at once."

Bob Cassilly was the founder of St. Louis' popular City Museum. His body was discovered in September 2011 inside the cab of a bulldozer he had been driving around his latest project, a 55-acre industrial playground. Authorities said his death wasn't a result of foul play.

Giovanna Cassilly complained police failed to examine her husband's death in light of incidents that took place before and after. Her attorney, Al Watkins, said he and his client are cooperating with law enforcement inquiries.

But police spokeswoman Schron Jackson said Tuesday there's no active investigation into the incident. The medical examiner's office declined to provide Bob Cassilly's autopsy report to the newspaper this week, citing an open police investigation.

The FBI wouldn't confirm or deny an investigation.

"Certainly, our office never had anything open on it," U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said. "It's hard to imagine what the (federal) jurisdiction would be."

Bob Cassilly's son from a previous marriage, Max Cassilly, survived being shot in the legs and arms a month before Bob Cassilly's death. One of the suspects was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty; the other wasn't caught.

Giovanna Cassilly said she wonders if the shooting was connected to her husband's death.

Watkins said Giovanna Cassilly claims too many things don't add up, including a deep cut into Bob Cassilly's right side of his skull they say couldn't have been caused by a tumbling bulldozer.

"You can't tell this story without taking a drugstore dime novel-like tone," Watkins said.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com