Police Investigate First Homicide in Disney Town

(Dec. 2) -- Investigators in Florida are trying to determine who committed the first reported murder in Celebration, a distinctly charming, close-knit town that was conceived and built by the Walt Disney Co.

"This is the first homicide that we have investigated in the town," Osceola County Sheriff's spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain told AOL News. "[We've seen] minor crimes, [like] criminal mischief, burglaries and other types, but not to the extent of a homicide."

Neighbors reported Matteo Giovanditto missing on Sunday. The 58-year-old retired teacher had reportedly not been seen since the day before Thanksgiving. On Monday, a concerned neighbor went into Giovanditto's condo and found him dead, Lizasuain said.

Authorities immediately considered Giovanditto's death suspicious, and on Tuesday, the case was classified as a homicide. Investigators asked the public to be on the lookout for Giovanditto's 2008 Corvette. The vehicle was later located, Lizasuain said.

"It was [found] at the Reef Club apartment complex in Kissimmee," Lizasuain said. "It was quite a ways from the town of Celebration."

Authorities won't comment on how Giovanditto was killed or whether they have identified a suspect or person of interest in the case.

"We have those details, but they haven't been released to the public or to the media at this point," Lizasuain said. "[Police] are keeping the information close to them, so they don't compromise the investigation."

According to The Associated Press, neighbors have been hesitant to share any personal details about Giovanditto, other than to say that he had moved to Florida from Massachusetts. At least one neighbor told WFTV News that Giovanditto lived a high-risk lifestyle but declined to elaborate.

Despite the lack of details available in the case, the homicide has been attracting a lot of media attention, because it is the most serious incident to occur in the "Disney-esque" community since residents first moved in 14 years ago.

Situated in central Florida, Celebration is a 4,900-acre unincorporated town that is nestled next to picturesque Lake Evalyn. The Walt Disney Co. founded the town, which boasts nearly 12,000 residents. Development began in the early 1990s and residents began arriving in 1996. The town is divided into nine "villages" that have been modeled after pre-1940s American small towns. Each of the villages has a unique, old-fashioned appeal, which results in a storybook atmosphere.

"We looked at what made communities great in our past, added what we've learned from the best practices today and combined this with vision and hope for strong communities in the future," Michael Eisner, chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Co., said in a 1995 Chicago Tribune interview.

In 2004, Disney sold the 16-acre town center to a private real estate investment company, but the quaint town's original vision remains the same. Today, homes in Celebration cost anywhere from $250,000 to $5 million.

While one might expect the town's first homicide to shatter the storybook atmosphere, the tight-knit community is not too concerned, a local real estate agent told AOL News.

"Things can happen anywhere," said Richie Galaska, a sales associate with Resort Properties International LLC. "It is regretful that something bad happened here, but I don't think there is a feeling of shock. We feel very safe. It is still Celebration, it will always be Celebration and one person's actions have no real effect on that."

Galaska added, "We have become very spoiled living in a wonderful community, and we want to stay spoiled. This dastardly deed has nothing to do with anything. It is a speck on the radar screen. We are sorry for this person, but it has nothing to do with Celebration."

According to Lizasuain, Galaska is not alone in his take on the situation.

"No, we haven't received a lot of concerns from [residents]," she said. "We have been keeping that up to speed, and we have let them know that we believe, at this point, it is an isolated incident, and it is not anything where they [should] feel like they would be in any kind of jeopardy."