OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) #2

[lonesomepaws]

After looking at the properties and distances from each other, this is what I believe. Chris Rhoden Sr probably grew up on the Union Hill Road on the property his Dad (Clarence) owned. He met and got with Dana and they bought the property next door that was added on to over time. Clarence originally owned the property at 799 Left Fork which was actually a HUGE piece of property that was divided up and some sold over time. I am sure if Chris and Kenneth are brothers, and Gary is a cousin- they knew the Left Fork property well. This is where I think the pot operation was going on and was probably going on for a while. There have been a lot of different family members that have lived at the 799 Left Fork property over the years.

Personally I think they were targeted because of the pot operation. I'm not sure I buy into drug cartels etc. but I think they had a very lucrative operation- I think that's how they financed properties, buildings, vehicles and the fact that so many of them did not seem to work. If you look on Dana's page and see some of the items she was selling- those are very expensive vehicles. I think Chris, Kenneth and Gary were probably the main members of the group and Frankie was brought in. I think Chris Jr. may have being groomed. I think Dana would have been aware- I think this operation went on for years. I think the Hanna's (Hannah) were aware of the operation and were collateral damage as they would have known the shooter/s.

 

[JanetElaine]

3122 Union Hill Road. I believe this was Dana's "new" house. Believe it or not- it appears to be in a different county!

Thanks for that, I hadn't had the time yet to look there. Bought on March 21st this year, in CR1's name. So they were definitely still on good terms then.

 

[birpu]

When I first heard about this tragedy, it was right after the 8th victim had been found at the last location and before the first presser. I immediately assumed a family member had gone on a crazed killing spree and then killed himself at another location. When they announced that all 8 victims were killed, I figured LE would find out about some dispute during their interviews with the family and that they'd have someone(s) in custody by the end of the next day. When that didn't happen, I just didn't know what to think. And I still don't, really.

Regardless who is responsible for this tragedy, I'm beginning to fear they may never be caught. If it was a family member, how will any DNA or fingerprint evidence be useful to them if they've spent any time in these properties? If this was related to the THC/marijuana bust from last month and this family was being investigated or were informants of some kind, wouldn't LE have known right away that these murders were related? And if they've given LE info about the dealers in charge, wouldn't they already know who is responsible?

AFAIK, there were no witnesses. If they went to great lengths to hinder the investigation, they probably won't find any fingerprints or DNA evidence. They likely parked a solid distance away, so no tire tracks. The fact that they don't have anyone in custody, and (what appears to be) only scant physical evidence, really worries me.

That's kind of how I see it. I think we have some part of the puzzle. I think whatever is going on in Pike County it is bigger than a local operation. I thought that was implied at the presser but my mind is internet fried now. I don't think they know who did it. I don't think the perps left much evidence, if any. It was a deliberate wipe-out of anyone connected to this grow operation. For some reason.

 

[winterrose]

Just saw the photo again of Hanna's little girl sleeping so peacefully and made me so sad to think of those other kids when this went down. I imagine the reason Hanna's daughter wasn't there was because she had just gotten home from the hospital, with Dana working it would be easier that way. Is it verified Dana, Hanna and Chris didn't live there, but at another house? If so, I guess they felt they were safer to stay there in numbers.

 

[winterrose]

You can google Dana's name with flipagram if noone's seen it yet.

 

[VicVixvi]

http://www.newswatchman.com/news/article_2b29ce0c-27a4-5f3b-9c28-ff921fe53003.html

In a town of 2,000, I find it highly improbable that there are TWO grow operations of this scale and description in this town. They are highly likely to be one and the same.

You haven't been to SE Ohio lately, have you? They are very common. The two other "Mexican Cartel" grows that were mentioned in the news story as being "outside Columbus" were actually in my area (about 2 hours North & East of Piketon). One was within a 15-20 minute back road drive from my house; the other was in the county just south of here.

 

[kaytay]

You can google Dana's name with flipagram if noone's seen it yet.

So sad seeing how happy they seemed.

Sent from my LGL16C using Tapatalk

 

[Cricket99]

Off to bed -hope there is some more info. in the a.m. Night all.

 

[potr]

its strange, there seem to be lots of imagery for the union/union hill scenes, but i can't find any of 799 left fork...does anyone have any?

 

[winterrose]

So sad seeing how happy they seemed.

Sent from my LGL16C using Tapatalk

I know, it makes it sadder.

 

[VicVixvi]

Carrying these forward from thread 1...

1) Dana Rhoden 3122 Union Hill
2) 4077 & 4199 Union Hill
3) Map showing distance between 1 & 2
4) Map showing distance between 1, 2 and 799 Left Fork where Kenneth was found.

 

[AmyPond]

You can google Dana's name with flipagram if noone's seen it yet.

It's clear that they were a pretty close family. Seeing the slideshows with the kids is truly heartbreaking.

 

[VicVixvi]

Anyone else think maybe the marijuana grow doesn't have a lot to do with it? Two reasons for my thinking.

1) The AG clearly stated they were going to provide (paraphrasing), "updates on what we are doing, but not the results of what we find". So then, why would he provide the results that they found a grow site in the next breath?

2) If the grow site is the reason, then it would most likely be either 1) revenge or 2) a robbery of the plants or stashed cash. If it were tied to #2, why would the sheriff advise the remaining Rhoden family members to arm themselves? Doesn't seem to be likely that the robbers would come back for more.

Just a couple of strings that I can't tie a neat little bow in ... sorry, it's how my mind works ...

 

[Everyday Grace]

I can't say that I'm totally sold on this being a cartel connected hit, but I can't rule it out.

The scale of this action leads me away from thinking a cartel was directly involved. Too big, too "loud," too much interest by the public was inevitable on this scale.

I can't think of any comparable cartel actions within the US, but I'm looking.

On the other hand, if it was cartel directed, it would certainly send a loud message.

It is not a stretch to say that a cartel could and would perform extensive surveillance prior to taking action.

Two cartel contracted operatives go on trial tomorrow (Monday) in federal court in Fort Worth for their role in a cartel hit in Southlake, Texas. Their role was surveillance.

The trackers were relentless. They researched police records to find details of Guerrero Chapa’s April 2011 arrest for battery at a Miami hotel for slapping his girlfriend. And they located his family members in Grapevine using property records.

Before returning home to Monterrey for Christmas, the son put GPS trackers on Guerrero Chapa’s brother’s vehicles.

In Grapevine, father and son were able to find Guerrero Chapa’s vehicle at the DFW Lakes Hilton by following his sister-in-law. They took photos of it and placed a tracker underneath it. That led them to Guerrero Chapa’s home in Southlake.

They also put a tracking device on Guerrero Chapa’s Mercedes, which only he drove.

They set up game cameras — the kind used by hunters to track prey — near Guerrero Chapa’s driveway to capture cars coming and going. The cameras and others placed elsewhere in the neighborhood were camouflaged in green paint and had night vision and motion sensors. They were controlled remotely and programmed to send photos to the father’s cellphone in real time.

http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/chapa/

(The linked article is Part 2 of a fascinating account of how actions and counteractioms can play between cartels and US law enforcement efforts.)

That is an example of how a cartel hit took place in the US.

The target in that case was a key player in the cartels, whereas the Ohio murders would only be smaller cogs in the machine if they were cartel connected.

Considering what was said today about the planned nature of these murders, I am inclined to think they are related to the growing operation rather than a crime of passion related to personal relationships.

This was about business -- the business of money.

Shatter is a concentrated form of THC that is in fact smoked. There is a huge market for it and the product is legal in Colorado, Washington, and elsewhere. Production methods can be dicey if people are careless and/or don't know what they're doing.

It's possible that this family's operation included shatter production and that they could be the people involved in the disrupted mail delivery.

We kid ourselves when we think we are shielded from the nature of drug cartels simply because we are on this side of the border.

They operate in the US less in the open than in Mexico, and usually behind other forms of drug trafficking organizations. The easiest way to find them is to look beyond and behind every drug trafficking operation. They're almost always there.

The question for me is whether a drug cartel would go this bold over a cannabis operation. I'm inclined to think not, but they might be willing to do so to send a message to US law enforcement regarding the broader drug wars.

 

[VicVixvi]

I haven't seen any ariel photos. Best I can do for you is a Google Earth screen shot.

 

[kaytay]

Anyone else think maybe the marijuana grow doesn't have a lot to do with it? Two reasons for my thinking.

1) The AG clearly stated they were going to provide (paraphrasing), "updates on what we are doing, but not the results of what we find". So then, why would he provide the results that they found a grow site in the next breath?

2) If the grow site is the reason, then it would most likely be either 1) revenge or 2) a robbery of the plants or stashed cash. If it were tied to #2, why would the sheriff advise the remaining Rhoden family members to arm themselves? Doesn't seem to be likely that the robbers would come back for more.

Just a couple of strings that I can't tie a neat little bow in ... sorry, it's how my mind works ...

I kind of wondered the same thing. I believe the local sheriff was the one that confirmed it after the AG was done answering questions. It had already leaked to Twitter. If its not related to drugs I hope them finding the grow doesn't throw them off the right track.

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[Lalalacasbah]

After looking at the properties and distances from each other, this is what I believe. Chris Rhoden Sr probably grew up on the Union Hill Road on the property his Dad (Clarence) owned. He met and got with Dana and they bought the property next door that was added on to over time. Clarence originally owned the property at 799 Left Fork which was actually a HUGE piece of property that was divided up and some sold over time. I am sure if Chris and Kenneth are brothers, and Gary is a cousin- they knew the Left Fork property well. This is where I think the pot operation was going on and was probably going on for a while. There have been a lot of different family members that have lived at the 799 Left Fork property over the years.

Personally I think they were targeted because of the pot operation. I'm not sure I buy into drug cartels etc. but I think they had a very lucrative operation- I think that's how they financed properties, buildings, vehicles and the fact that so many of them did not seem to work. If you look on Dana's page and see some of the items she was selling- those are very expensive vehicles. I think Chris, Kenneth and Gary were probably the main members of the group and Frankie was brought in. I think Chris Jr. may have being groomed. I think Dana would have been aware- I think this operation went on for years. I think the Hanna's (Hannah) were aware of the operation and were collateral damage as they would have known the shooter/s.

I'm in the same line of thinking as you. I don't think drug cartels either for some reason, it's almost like someone wanted it to look that way. Did someone want a piece of the pie but wasn't allowed in so want to pull a "I'll show them, all of them" also comes to mind.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

It was an exceptionally mild winter this year in Ohio, and spring came very early. I'm not sure if that is pertinent, but some had raised questions about the growing season in Ohio and the temperatures this year.

 

[MirnaMinkoff]

View attachment 92553
4077 Union Hill Road BEFORE large grey metal garage was put in place

The large grey metal structure was most likely the grow operation, either in the building itself or underneath it. Given it was winter, and light are hot, it would make sense that this was used during the Oct to April months for growing pot. That size operation is indicative of something more than locals growing weed for extra money, it's indicative of some serious operation being funded.

 

[lonesomepaws]

I haven't seen any ariel photos. Best I can do for you is a Google Earth screen shot.

I posted quite a few aerial shots about page 9 or 10