I have thought it wasn't all done in a short period of time. Only the coronor's estimated time of death from body temperature would tell that. I believe that CRsr and GR was moved in case someone stopped by. The door was locked to keep people out but they could have looked through a window when they didn't get an answer at the door. I've also wondered if DR stopped in to let CRsr know she was home because he didn't reply by text or answer his phone. All things we may never know but LE may because of phone records. My thought is that GR was shot first and CRsr came down the hall to see what was happening. He ran back to the bedroom, closed the door and tried to keep them from getting in and maybe opened that window to get out. One article said he was shot in the face five times. At least some of those had to be after he was down. DR was shot in the face and once in an upward angle in the throat area which sounds like a shot after she was down or the first shot if they were face to face. It all sounds like some real hatred or making sure they made a point to let people know what can happen...
OH - Pike County: 8 People From One Family Dead As Police Hunt For Killer(s) #34 *Arrests*
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I have thought it wasn't all done in a short period of time. Only the coronor's estimated time of death from body temperature would tell that. I believe that CRsr and GR was moved in case someone stopped by. The door was locked to keep people out but they could have looked through a window when they didn't get an answer at the door. I've also wondered if DR stopped in to let CRsr know she was home because he didn't reply by text or answer his phone. All things we may never know but LE may because of phone records. My thought is that GR was shot first and CRsr came down the hall to see what was happening. He ran back to the bedroom, closed the door and tried to keep them from getting in and maybe opened that window to get out. One article said he was shot in the face five times. At least some of those had to be after he was down. DR was shot in the face and once in an upward angle in the throat area which sounds like a shot after she was down or the first shot if they were face to face. It all sounds like some real hatred or making sure they made a point to let people know what can happen...
MittenScarpetta
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The families do know. Some family members have shared info and some have been quiet. However, I think perhaps the release of photos to the media for viewing is extra upsetting.
Yesterday was like reliving the beginning all over again. I’m not family nor did I personally know the victims, but I know how I felt yesterday and I can’t imagine how family felt seeing the brutality inflicted on their family publicaly discussed.
MittenScarpetta
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The only thing is, the one article said Chris was awake and saw his killer(s) approaching/arriving (paraphrasing).
I'm not sure the news media has seen the photos yet. Yesterday, it sounded like they had just viewed the preliminary AR reports and reports of the coroner. I could be wrong, though I'm pretty sure the same rule applies for photos as the other docs - reporters will only be able to view them. They won't be able to make copies or anything. They're not even allowed to make notes. All they can do is view docs and photos and memorize the details. So, I don't think there will be any copies of the photos in the news media, thank goodness. I don't think most reporters would do that anyway.
I feel badly for family, friends and neighbors, but hopefully the worst of the news coverage is over for now. On the positive side, maybe the new details and discussions they stimulate will put some pressure on guilty folks or revive some memories of witnesses who saw or heard something.
It still bothers me that family and members of the community out there still have to worry about these killers. That LE has had such a cavalier attitude about protecting them is barbaric. If it was an investigative strategy, it's been a big failure.
Re theories about the killings taking place at different times, it's possible, but as much as that family communicated and the close proximity of their homes to each other, JMO, indicates the times couldn't have been that great. Unless they were hiding out in CR1's trailer, the killers would have risked being noticed, coming and going so close to FR's trailer with friends and family coming and going all evening from that location.
I have to go back and look at my timeline. If anyone has a more detailed timeline than my old one in the Media & Timelines thread, please share. Thanks!
ETA: Also just wanted to add that, if the coroner could quickly notice a different decomp rate in CR1 compared to the others, it indicates the victims had been deceased long enough for that change to take place. FWIW, it seems to indicate they were killed quite a bit earlier than when BJM discovered them.
ETA2: MizStery, sorry to hear about your eye patch. Hope your eye procedures are going well and that you're healed up soon!
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New information released in unsolved Rhoden family massacre
Interview with a Rhoden neighbor who still thinks the murders were a cartel hit
Interview with a Rhoden neighbor who still thinks the murders were a cartel hit
RAISINISBACK
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For those who cannot access the Cincinnati Enquirer. Here is the full article.
Rhoden family massacre: Preliminary autopsy reports reviewed
Autopsy reports released Wednesday show the 2016 massacre of eight people from a Pike County family was methodical, calculated and vicious.
It now appears that 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr., the family patriarch, was among the first killed. The reports indicate he was awake when he was confronted by at least one person with a gun. Among the nine gunshot wounds he suffered was an apparent defensive wound to his right forearm that shattered bone. Also, at least one bullet went through a door before hitting him, according to the reports.
Authorities had previously said the family members – who were found in three trailers on the same rural property as well as a camper several miles away – were killed in their sleep the early morning of April 22, 2016.
In addition to the bullet wound to his forearm, Rhoden Sr. also was shot in the torso and cheek. He was found in the back bedroom of a trailer at 4077 Union Hill Road.
Also found dead in the same trailer was his cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38. He was shot twice in the head and once in the face. With one of the shots, the reports indicate the gun was pressed against the side of his head, leaving a "muzzle stain."
Information about the kind of bullets found was not included in the reports.
Also killed in the attack were Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s older brother, Kenneth, 44; his former wife, Dana Manley Rhoden, 38; and their three children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Hanna Rhoden, 19; and Chris Rhoden, Jr., 16.
Frankie Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, also was a victim.
The killers spared three young children, who were unharmed.
The reports lay out the brutality of the killings. All but one of the victims were shot in the head multiple times in their homes. Kenneth Rhoden was found in a camper about three miles away, shot once through his right eye.
Dana Manley Rhoden and her children, Chris and Hanna, were found dead in the same trailer at 3122 Union Hill Road.
The reports appear to show Dana Rhoden was methodically shot four times around the right side of her head and a fifth time under her chin.
Chris, who at 16 was the youngest victim, was shot in the head multiple times. Hanna was shot twice in the head. She was found in bed with her 5-day-old daughter.
Inside a trailer at 4091 Union Hill Road, Frankie Rhoden and Hannah Gilley were fatally shot in bed. Their 6-month-old son was found between them, unharmed. Among the five bullet wounds to Gilley was one to her left eye.
A second child in the trailer, Frankie Rhoden's 4-year-old son, who had been sleeping on a couch, also wasn't harmed.
Authorities have repeatedly said the killers worked to cover their tracks, adding complexity to what is the largest homicide investigation in Ohio history.
"Nobody's seen anything like this," Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk said Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, which is heading the investigation, declined to comment.
As of April this year, investigators had received nearly 1,000 tips in the case, conducted nearly 500 interviews and processed more than 100 pieces of evidence.
An Ohio Supreme Court ruling announced Wednesday reversed a lower court's decision and made the preliminary autopsy reports of the eight family members killed reviewable to journalists.
The Pike County coroner and prosecutor had been fighting to keep the reports secret since an Enquirer reporter requested the reports in May 2016. An appeals court ruled the reports were not public but that decision was superseded by the high court's decision.
Rhoden family massacre: Preliminary autopsy reports reviewed
Autopsy reports released Wednesday show the 2016 massacre of eight people from a Pike County family was methodical, calculated and vicious.
It now appears that 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr., the family patriarch, was among the first killed. The reports indicate he was awake when he was confronted by at least one person with a gun. Among the nine gunshot wounds he suffered was an apparent defensive wound to his right forearm that shattered bone. Also, at least one bullet went through a door before hitting him, according to the reports.
Authorities had previously said the family members – who were found in three trailers on the same rural property as well as a camper several miles away – were killed in their sleep the early morning of April 22, 2016.
In addition to the bullet wound to his forearm, Rhoden Sr. also was shot in the torso and cheek. He was found in the back bedroom of a trailer at 4077 Union Hill Road.
Also found dead in the same trailer was his cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38. He was shot twice in the head and once in the face. With one of the shots, the reports indicate the gun was pressed against the side of his head, leaving a "muzzle stain."
Information about the kind of bullets found was not included in the reports.
Also killed in the attack were Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s older brother, Kenneth, 44; his former wife, Dana Manley Rhoden, 38; and their three children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Hanna Rhoden, 19; and Chris Rhoden, Jr., 16.
Frankie Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20, also was a victim.
The killers spared three young children, who were unharmed.
The reports lay out the brutality of the killings. All but one of the victims were shot in the head multiple times in their homes. Kenneth Rhoden was found in a camper about three miles away, shot once through his right eye.
Dana Manley Rhoden and her children, Chris and Hanna, were found dead in the same trailer at 3122 Union Hill Road.
The reports appear to show Dana Rhoden was methodically shot four times around the right side of her head and a fifth time under her chin.
Chris, who at 16 was the youngest victim, was shot in the head multiple times. Hanna was shot twice in the head. She was found in bed with her 5-day-old daughter.
Inside a trailer at 4091 Union Hill Road, Frankie Rhoden and Hannah Gilley were fatally shot in bed. Their 6-month-old son was found between them, unharmed. Among the five bullet wounds to Gilley was one to her left eye.
A second child in the trailer, Frankie Rhoden's 4-year-old son, who had been sleeping on a couch, also wasn't harmed.
Authorities have repeatedly said the killers worked to cover their tracks, adding complexity to what is the largest homicide investigation in Ohio history.
"Nobody's seen anything like this," Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk said Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, which is heading the investigation, declined to comment.
As of April this year, investigators had received nearly 1,000 tips in the case, conducted nearly 500 interviews and processed more than 100 pieces of evidence.
An Ohio Supreme Court ruling announced Wednesday reversed a lower court's decision and made the preliminary autopsy reports of the eight family members killed reviewable to journalists.
The Pike County coroner and prosecutor had been fighting to keep the reports secret since an Enquirer reporter requested the reports in May 2016. An appeals court ruled the reports were not public but that decision was superseded by the high court's decision.
RAISINISBACK
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Why would Chris’ be more decomposed than the rest? Was he dead hours before the others? If so, IMO that leads back to GR being involved.
There could be two versions.
One they killed CR1 first and waited in the trailer for GR to return before killing him then killed the rest.
Two GR could have been involved and went with them to the other homes to kill the others, then when they found or didn't find what they were searching for they went back to CR1's trailer where they killed him with a different caliber weapon.
One other question, was everyone killed with the same caliber weapon except GR? The way the AR reads they were since GR's is the only one which specifically mentions a larger caliber weapon was used. Does that leave room that GR may have killed them all with one gun then was killed by someone else with another gun?
One thing is obvious, GR was killed considerably later than CR1 and that is extremely odd considering they were found in the same trailer near each other.
So he could have been in on it and they searched for some time for something, or they kept him alive with a gun to his head while they searched the other trailers, or he wasn't home when CR1 was killed. The last is supported by the fact that someone was dragged to the bedroom in an attempt to conceal the crime if someone looked/walked in.
JMO
RAISINISBACK
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I am honestly beginning to believe GR was in on this. He would have known about the 30k in cash CR paid a month earlier for DR's home and he would have known about any safes and their location. He would also know or suspect if CR kept large amounts of cash or drugs in that safe. It has been stated before that CR1 kept GR's paychecks and gave out small amounts for living expenses as needed to keep him off drugs.
We know GR was an addict who used hard drugs. What if he owed a dealer a large amount of money? (the W's maybe?) He promised them they could get the money he owed at CR1's. CR1 would have let him in even if he was with someone else (trust by association if with someone you know). GR asked CR1 for some money and CR1 went to the bedroom to get into the safe and get it. Maybe he didn't have any money in the safe so they started looking in the other homes for his stash? KR would have also let him in even if he was with someone else, so would DR and probably BR( FR's son) or maybe even HG who had been up nursing the baby. When they didn't find the money or drugs or when they did find it, they killed GR with a different kind of weapon. In this theory GR did all the killing except himself?
JMO
flute4peace
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I think this all makes a lot of sense. MOO.
Elley Mae
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The report revealed Christopher Rhoden Sr., the father of the teenager and two others killed that day, was shot nine times and it noted that his body was decomposed “more than all the others.” He appeared to have suffered a defensive wound to his right forearm and that another bullet went through a door before hitting him, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. His body was found in the back bedroom of a trailer.
Brutal unsolved killing of eight members of Ohio family was systematically executed, autopsy shows
Brutal unsolved killing of eight members of Ohio family was systematically executed, autopsy shows
Good points about GR possibly participating at first. It's possible.
I wouldn't assume everyone else was killed with the same weapon, except for GR. It's possible there were multiple killers who used a weapon with the same ammunition.
If this is the scenario, GR would likely be covered in the blood of some of the other family members. Given that most of the other family members were killed in bed, probably asleep, GR would not have gone in to awaken them, he wouldn't have been any help in that respect, possibly only to get past the dogs.
I'm not sure how GR would have been helpful to the killers as it appears they entered the trailers and killed the other family members while they were asleep. What would GR be doing to help in that scenario?
Did they mean approaching the house or approaching him. I thought they meant he saw them coming at him, not coming to the house. I could be wrong...
Interesting. "Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine’s office is investigating the mass slaying and Dewine has said Cartel involvement is one possible theory." I thought DeWine says there are no Mexican Cartels working in Southeast Ohio. Did he not?
RAISINISBACK
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Knowing where spare keys were located?
It is possible that BR (FR's son) may have let him in as he did with BJM.
DR, I think was still awake and on social media as it has been stated she was talking to AM as late as 1 AM and posting to social media. She would have let him in.
I think KR would have also. He too may have been awake and opened the door.
Even if GR had blood on him, once they opened the door and saw it, it would have been too late as I think things happened very fast after the doors were opened. Besides it would be hard to see blood on clothing after dark just by looking through a window or peephole, especially if it was dark clothing.
In all the trailers the doors may have not been locked, since rumor has it FR was gone for a while helping a friend so HG would have left the door unlocked for him, DR pulled a double shift so CR2 and HR left the door unlocked for her, and KR was expecting DS to stay the night (Per DS) so left the door unlocked for him.
Sheer good luck could have played a part in the killers getting in or the R's may not have been in the habit of locking their doors, as evidenced by BJM being surprised by the locked door at CR1's.
In addition I read one rumor that a female deputy told various people there was up to 160k hidden in a wall in CR1's trailer. This was on a different forum a few months after the murders and since we are not allowed to mention those forums, I didn't think it was worth mentioning the posted rumor either. But if this rumor is true GR might have known or suspected about the hidden money, but didn't know where or which trailer it was hidden in.
I find it very odd that the coroner noted that CR1 was decomposed more than anyone else including GR who was found near him and assumed to be killed around the same time as CR1.
I also find it very odd that the coroner noted that GR was killed with a larger caliber gun but mentioned nothing about any of the other victims being killed with that same caliber. This leads me to believe that GR was the only one shot with that particular caliber weapon.
IMO this singled GR out on two fronts, one, not being as decomposed as CR1 who he was found near and two being shot with a different weapon than the others.
JMO
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Yeah, if the coroner noted it, it was a fact or at least his perception. If you read Dr David Kessler's deposition for the lawsuit that the two newspapers filed against him to access the AR reports, he comes off as a decent guy. The job is part time, he has a regular medical practice. He's done murders before.
On the day of the Rhoden murders, he was obviously taken by surprise. He got in his car to go over to UHR to begin his work and he was intercepted by BCI- Ohio Hwy Patrol who said they would be in charge of the investigation. The agent told Kessler he was going to have the Adams County coroner go to at least one of the scenes to break up the workload. IIRC, the Adams County guy was sent to DR's home. Dr. Kessler took an assistant and the two of them covered the other crime scenes, though I think Kessler followed up on the ones his assistant did.
The guy had to be a zombie by the end of that day. He did sound professional in the deposition, but you could tell he was pretty much horrified and shocked by it all. So, if he made not of something different, like CR's condition relative to others, it means it really stood out to him, enough to make note of it in the midst of everything else he was seeing.
Later in the deposition, he admits it was DeWine's office who made all the redactions in the final AR's (technically/legally that was not DeWine's decision to make, only Kessler's) and he just had to go along. I got the impression he didn't agree with what the OAG and BCI did on redacting the final AR's as long as the family didn't mind the news media viewing them.
But what a day Dr. Kessler had. If he noted some detail, it was for good reason.
ETA: Does it seem unusual that BCI asked Adans Co coroner to go to one of the crime scenes when it was in Scioto Co.? Maybe I'm being overly suspicious. Scioto coroner may have been too busy.
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rsd1200
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A large caliber gun. Maybe a .45, a 40, or possibly even a 44 Magnum (but I don't see a revolver here). 45s, in this region, are very popular. Most large calibers are a bit bulky for conceal carry. At least in my experience. It is not uncommon at all for folks to carry a pistol, concealed, or open, carry. If folks are into dealing, then they're likely used to firearms being around, on both sides. It would be the norm. With CR1's forearm being shattered, it leads me to believe he was shot, at least once, with a large caliber, b/c he was a bigger looking fella, and it went into the flesh, and shattered the bone, instead of tracking up the bone, but, ya never know.
Thanks for your input on that RSD1200. I was hoping you might comment and give us an idea of the type of gun. While CR1 may have been used to seeing dealers with firearms, they're probably carrying some sort of larger handgun, right? That may not have surprised him, but something made him run to the back bedroom and close the door. We're all trying to brainstorm that sequence of events with his TOD being earlier than GR's.
I need to go back and find that interview with GR's dad when he talks about LE telling him that there were 2 different kinds of cartridges found at CR1's trailer. I can't recall if he specified the type of cartridge.
Also wondering about the Columbus Dispatch article mentioning that CR1 saw his attackers approaching. Recall, it was said, by LM, that he had hidden cameras on his property. He had one pointing to the driveway and others around. I wonder if the CD article means that CR1 saw the killers in his video feed of the security cameras? He would have been paying attention to it, late at night when they were all supposedly on alert for something. Did he see something or someone that made him head to the back bedroom and close the door, trying to escape? What happened with the dog?
Still trying to figure out GR's situation, too. Was GR gone, with the killers ambushing him when he came in? Did the killers park their vehicle down the road and come in on foot? Did anyone ever notice whether LE examined tire tracks in CR1's drive?
So many questions still.
Still so many questions.
Or going for a gun?
rsd1200
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He could have been going to his safe, to get $ or product. They may have been there under pretense of making a deal. GR may have been on his way to the trailer. CR1 may have stepped into that bedroom, to get what they came for, not realizing they were there for a different reason. They kill CR1, there, in the hall, near the bedroom, and drag him in the bedroom. I've read he was covered. Probably so they could go through things in that room w/o having to look at him. So,yhey get to work on what they need to do there. Then, GR then comes to the trailer. Right place, wrong time. They kill him right there in the front room when he comes in, and drag him to the back. They've already been through that room so may as well toss him in that e
I'd heard that FR left their home, after an argument between he and HHG, after CRob left. This was per family on FB, w/a screenshot of the post, but, I can't upload the conversation. When he got home he may have noticed a vehicle in CR1's drive. That may have been what got them killed. He'd have a vehicle description and possibly a name too.
I think this family stayed on alert so much that they let their guard down. They had surveillance of some type, dogs, and likely firearms, that they'd be fine. I think they were taken by surprise by someone they knew.
Here is a link to what GR's dad said about the shell casings;
Pike County murder investigation continues; fundraisers for victims begin
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