911 caller in Ohio: ‘There’s blood all over’
Police release tapes in which relative of 8 found dead details gruesome scene
PIKETON, Ohio — An outof-breath caller who found two of the eight slain members of an Ohio family told a 911 dispatcher in a quavering voice that “there’s blood all over the house.”
“I think my brother-in-law’s dead,” she said, her voice rising as she adds later that it looks like someone has “beat the crap out of them.”
“I think they’re both dead,” she said before breaking down into sobs, according to one of two 911 call recordings released Saturday by the state attorney general’s office.
The calls were released a day after eight family members were found dead with gunshots to the head at four properties in rural southern Ohio.
Authorities continued the scramble to determine who targeted that clan and why. Investigators said they interviewed more than 30 people in hopes of finding leads in the deaths of the seven adults and the teenage boy whose bodies were found Friday at homes southwest of Piketon.
They completed work at the crime scenes Saturday.
“It’s a very active and ongoing investigation,” said Lisa Hackley, a spokeswoman for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “We’re looking for the person or persons who did this.”
The victims, all members of the Rhoden family, were identified Saturday as Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40 ; his son, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; Kenneth Rhoden, 44; Gary Rhoden, 38; Dana Rhoden, 37; Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20; Hannah Gilley, 20; and Hanna Rhoden, 19.
Close-knit family
It appeared some of the family members were killed as they slept, including Hanna Rhoden, who was in bed with her newborn baby nearby, authorities said.
The infant was 4- or 5-days old, authorities said. The infant, Hannah Gilley’s 6-month-old baby, and one other small child were not hurt.
Authorities said none of the injuries appeared self-inflicted.
A search for the perpetrator or perpetrators continued Saturday as surviving members of the Rhoden family were urged to take precautions.
Authorities offered them help, and recommended that area residents also be wary.
Phil Fulton, pastor of Union Hill Church up the road from where some of the victims were found, described the family as close-knit and hardworking. He said they were previously part of his congregation, though not recently.
“We’re just doing everything we can to reach out to the family to show them love and comfort,” Fulton said.
Timing of shootings unclear
Reading a statement from the family, Kimberly Newman of the Ohio Crisis Response Team, told reporters gathered alongside the barricaded road that leads to some of the crime scenes that they appreciated “the outpouring of prayers and support.”
“They ask that you continue to keep them in your prayers,” Newman said.
The exact timing of the shootings remained unclear. Authorities got the first 911 call shortly before 8 a.m. Friday; the second call came several hours later from another location, where the caller said he found his cousin.
“I just went in hollering at him … and I looked up at him and he had a gunshot wound,” he said.
Two of the crime scenes are within walking distance of each other along a sparsely populated, winding road that leads into wooded hills from a rural highway.
The third residence is more than a mile away, and the fourth home is on a different road, at least a 10-minute drive away, said the investigation’s leader, Benjamin Suver, a special agent in charge with Bureau of Criminal Investigations.
Investigators blocked off wide areas around the crime scenes, but aerial photos showed law enforcement vehicles parked outside the properties.
One scene appeared to have a trailer home and several other buildings a short walk apart, with a school bus and numerous other vehicles parked in the grass around the property.
Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader and DeWine said in a joint statement Saturday that investigators worked through the night processing evidence at the scene.
Officials said a Cincinnati-area businessman put up a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the killer or killers.
Authorities refused to discuss details about the crime scenes, the type or number of weapons used, the evidence found, and the search operations.