2016 Pike County, Ohio, shootings

2016 Pike County, Ohio, shootings
Location Pike County, Ohio, United States
Date April 22, 2016
Before 7:51 a.m. (EDT)
Attack type
 Spree shooting, mass murder
Weapons Firearm(s)
Deaths 8
Victims
  • Christopher Rhoden Jr.
  • Christopher Rhoden Sr.
  • Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden
  • Dana Lynn Rhoden
  • Gary Rhoden
  • Hanna May Rhoden
  • Hannah Hazel Gilley
  • Kenneth Rhoden
Perpetrator Unknown
Motive Unknown

On April 22, 2016, the bodies of eight people were found in four homes in Pike County, near Peebles, Ohio, 60 miles (97 km) from Columbus, and 90 miles (140 km) from Cincinnati. Seven of the victims—six adults and a 16-year-old boy—were discovered to have been fatally shot execution-style in three adjacent houses, while the eighth victim—also an adult—was found shot to death in a fourth house in nearby Piketon. All of the victims were members of the Rhoden family.

Details

The bodies were first discovered after Bobby Jo Manley,[1] a sister of victim Dana Rhoden, came to feed pets at the homes.[2][3] Police were first alerted to the bodies after receiving a 9-1-1 call about two bodies inside a home on Union Hill Road, at 7:51 a.m. EDT.[4] While investigating that house, where two males were found dead, deputies searched two nearby addresses on the same road after receiving further calls from other relatives. There, the deputies found a total of five additional victims. Later in the afternoon, an eighth body, that of a male adult, was found at a fourth residence in the nearby village of Piketon.[2][5][6][7][8]

Three young children—ages 3, 6 months, and 4 days—were unharmed during the shootings,[9] with the 4-day-old being found in bed with her mother's body. Seven adults and a 16-year-old were among those slain.[6][9][10][11] The 4-day-old and the 6-month-old were placed under protective services, and the 3-year-old was put under the guardianship of his mother, who was not involved in the shootings.[1][12]

Victims

The eight victims were identified as:[1][2][13]

Name Age Relationship
Christopher Rhoden Jr. 16 Youngest son of Dana and Christopher Rhoden Sr.
Christopher Rhoden Sr. 40 Ex-husband of Dana Rhoden
Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden 20 Eldest son of Dana and Christopher Rhoden Sr.
Father of the surviving 6-month-old and 3-year-old children
Dana Lynn Rhoden 37 Ex-wife of Christopher Rhoden Sr.
Gary Rhoden 38 Cousin of Christopher Sr. and Kenneth Rhoden
Hanna May Rhoden 19 Daughter of Dana and Christopher Rhoden Sr.
Mother of the surviving 4-day-old child
Hannah Hazel Gilley 20 Fiancée of Clarence Rhoden
Mother of the surviving 6-month-old child
Kenneth Rhoden 44 Brother of Christopher Rhoden Sr.

The bodies of the victims were taken to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office in Cincinnati, where autopsies found that all but one of the victims were shot multiple times.[14] Four of the victims were shot once, twice, or three times; one was shot four times; two were shot five times; and the eighth suffered a total of nine gunshot wounds. Bruising was also found on some of the bodies, indicating the victims were beaten as well.[8][15] Some of the victims were found shot in their beds.[6][9][10][11] From the number of gunshot wounds on the victims' bodies, an estimated total of 32 shots were fired during the killings.[4]

On April 28, Gary Rhoden was the first of the victims to be buried, with his funeral proceedings being held in South Shore, Kentucky. Hannah Hazel Gilley was the next to be buried, on May 1 at Otway, Ohio. Funerals for the remaining victims took place on May 3 at West Portsmouth.[16][17][18] A high amount of security was present during the May 3 funeral service.[18]

Investigation

Police believe that more than one shooter may be responsible for the killings, since two of the crime scenes were within walking distance, a third located about a mile away, and the fourth about eight miles away. Investigators briefly considered the possibility of a murder-suicide, but it was discredited as none of the victims' deaths appeared to be suicides.[3][5][6][11][12] Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine stated that the killings were planned, premeditated, and "a sophisticated operation", citing the efforts taken by the shooter or shooters to cover up their tracks and remove any incriminating forensic evidence.[19]

All of the victims were identified as members of the Rhoden family. Surviving family members were urged by police to take precautions, and all residents of Peebles were advised to stay inside their homes the following night.[10] An investigative task force of at least 100 members, led by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI), was assembled.[20][21] More than 251 law enforcement officials were involved in the investigation overall,[4][22] and sheriffs from 25 offices across Ohio offered to provide resources to Pike County.[23] The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration provided technical expertise to DeWine's office.[4] At least five search warrants were executed, and more than 50 people were interviewed in connection with the killings, though no arrests were made so far.[12][13] 79 pieces of evidence were examined, including a Facebook threat aimed at Christopher Rhoden Jr., which was posted before the shootings.[12][15][24]

On April 25, a spokesperson for DeWine's office also confirmed that marijuana was discovered at the three crime scenes on Union Hill Road, including an indoor grow house in which hundreds of marijuana plants were being grown, as well as chickens and equipment consistent with breeding chickens for cockfighting.[19][25] An estimated total of 200 marijuana plants were recovered from the crime scenes and are believed to have been grown for sale and not for personal use.[15] It is currently unknown if the marijuana was connected to the shootings,[26] though investigators confirmed the possibility of the involvement of a Mexican drug cartel.[15][27] Marijuana problems are a common occurrence in Pike County: in 2010, 22,000 marijuana plants were seized by authorities in Latham, 15 miles (24 km) west of Piketon; and a major marijuana growth site was discovered by police in August 2012, with about 1,200 marijuana plants being destroyed by investigators. In both cases, police suspected connections to Mexican drug cartels.[12][28]

On April 26, Dana Rhoden's father, Leonard Manley, stated that the victims knew their killer(s), citing the presence of Dana's two protective dogs. There was no indication that the dogs tried to attack anyone during the shootings, and there were no signs of forced entry at any of the crime scenes.[1][29] Manley, who was not involved in the shootings, also described his daughter as having no involvement in the exposed marijuana operations, saying that "they are trying to drag my daughter through the mud, and I don't appreciate that."[1][15]

On May 3, following the funerals of the last six victims, authorities towed away at least three vehicles from property belonging to the Rhoden family; a spokeswoman for Mike DeWine said they were towed "as part of the investigation". Additional vehicles were towed the next day as well. They were all dropped off at the base of operations set up by the investigative task force. As of May 4, 450 tips were submitted during the investigation and 128 interviews were conducted.[4][30]

Reactions

Ohio Governor and 2016 U.S. presidential candidate John Kasich, who was briefed on the killings, described them as "tragic beyond comprehension".[7][31]

Cincinnati-area businessman Jeff Ruby offered a reward of US$25,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the shootings.[32] On April 28, Ruby withdrew his reward, citing "recent complex criminal developments" in a post on Twitter.[33]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Graves, Chris (April 25, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: 'Ain't got no revenge in our hearts,' Pike Co. family says". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Kennedy, Megan (April 25, 2016). "Family tree released of 8 Ohio shooting victims". WISH-TV. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Shooter or shooters likely at large after Ohio massacre, investigators say". FOX News. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "New info: More vehicles towed from Pike County shooting scenes". WHIO. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Pérez-Peña, Richard (April 22, 2016). "8 Members of One Family Found Shot to Death in Rural Ohio". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "8 killed 'execution-style' in Pike Co.; shooter 'extremely dangerous' AG says". WLWT. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Westcott, Lucy (April 22, 2016). "EIGHT MEMBERS OF OHIO FAMILY SHOT DEAD ‘EXECUTION-STYLE,’ SHOOTER ‘STILL AT-LARGE’". Newsweek. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Shapiro, Emily; Perez, Alex; Rahmanzadeh, Shahriar (April 26, 2016). "1 of the Murdered Ohio Family Members Was Shot 9 Times, Coroner Says". ABC News. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Ellis, Ralph; Grinberg, Emanuella (April 22, 2016). "3 kids survive slaying of 8 family members in Ohio". CNN. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 "8 relatives shot in head in Ohio as 3 children survive; killer thought to be loose". Chicago Tribune. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 "3 children survive Ohio massacre of 7 adults, 1 juvenile; suspect at large". RT. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Pearson, Michael (April 25, 2016). "Ohio shootings: What we know". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Officials identify 8 killed in Pike County slaying". WLWT. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Seven of eight Pike County victims shot multiple times, coroner says". Columbus Dispatch. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Coroner: Most Ohio victims shot many times, some bruised". CBS News. Associated Press. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  16. ↑ "More Funerals Ahead for Victims in Ohio Shooting Massacre". ABC News. Associated Press. May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Funeral held for 6 family members in Ohio shooting massacre". FOX News. Associated Press. May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Security concerns for funeral of 6 Ohio shooting victims". CBS News. Associated Press. May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Shapiro, Emily; Perez, Alex (April 25, 2016). "Ohio Family Killings: Marijuana Grow Operations Found at 3 of the 4 Crime Scenes". Yahoo! GMA. ABC News. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Autopsies completed in shooting massacre that killed 8 Ohio relatives". FOX News. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Pike County Multiple Homicide Investigation". Ohio Attorney General's Office. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Ohio shootings: Coroner's report says most victims shot many times". CBC News. Associated Press. April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Pike County shootings ‘cold-blooded massacre’". Dayton Daily News. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Facebook threat targeted executed Ohio family". CBS News. Associated Press. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Investigators continue seeking leads after 8 killed in Pike Co". NBC4i. Associated Press. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  26. ↑ Nealeigh, Sara (April 25, 2016). "DeWine: Cockfighting chickens found at scene of mass killing". Chillicothe Gazette. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Investigators continue search for Pike County, Ohio shooting suspect". WWMT-TV. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  28. ↑ "4 possible motives in Pike County Ohio murders". Austin American-Statesman. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  29. ↑ Longmire, Sylvia (April 26, 2016). "Ohio Shooting Massacre Highlights Prevalence of Domestic Marijuana Grows". In Homeland Security. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  30. ↑ Dufour, Liz; Thompson, Chrissie; Strickley, Bob; Graves, Chris (May 3, 2016). "Ohio AG's office: Vehicles towed 'part of investigation' in Pike Co.". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  31. ↑ Hensch, Mark (April 22, 2016). "Kasich: Execution-style killings in Ohio 'tragic beyond comprehension'". The Hill. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Jeff Ruby offers $25K for arrest of Pike Co. mass shooter". Journal-News. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  33. ↑ "UPDATE: Reward withdrawn for information about Pike County massacre case". WSAZ-TV. April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
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