OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) #9

Ohio family massacre highlights rural region’s ties to illegal drugs
POSTED 6:00 PM, MAY 1, 2016, BY CNNWIRE


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The gruesome slayings have rattled this southeast corner of Appalachian Ohio, a region that culturally identifies more closely with neighboring Kentucky and West Virginia than the state’s northern cities. As U.S. 23 leads away from Columbus, business parks and strip malls give way to lush stretches of farmland dotted with old farmhouses and rusted silos. Farther south into the Appalachian foothills, churches, pickup trucks and Confederate flags become more common.

[...]

Adding to the shock was the discovery of hundreds of illegal marijuana plants on Rhoden’s property, highlighting the region’s dependency on the illegal drug trade as jobs in agriculture and timber have dried up.

No one has been arrested, and law enforcement has kept a tight lid on the investigation. What little is known has raised more questions than answers.

[...]

“The family that I knew could not have been involved in that,” said friend Heather Romine of Waverly, the next town over. She met Dana Rhoden while working in a nursing home years ago and they became friends. “It’s just so out of character for them. I don’t think it’s plausible.”

Pike County’s ties to the drug trade

The killings have cast a spotlight on the remote region’s ties to the drug trade, thanks to its obscured terrain and U.S. 23, the north-south highway that splits Pike County in two.

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Audio 911 Calls

PRESSER: APRIL 27, 2016

MOD NOTE: Tricia has given permission for sleuths to discuss the criminal records of the family members who were murdered. In light of the grow operations they may be very relevant. Please refrain from posting criminal histories of other individuals who have not been named persons of interest or suspects by LE or simply because they have the last name of the victims or may be a distant cousin or aunt. Stick with the victims for now. That may change as more develops on this case.

MOD NOTE: Please don't speculate about the current custody of the minor children who were left alive. It is a blessing they are alive. If posting snips from articles regarding the children please redact their names. These babes are innocents. one day they will google their names. And plenty will come up. Thanks.

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CASE NOTES (courtesy of cujenn81) this link contains locations, distance, victim info, relationships and more.

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From left, top row: Christopher Rhoden Jr., Christopher Rhoden Sr., Dana Rhoden, Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden; bottom row: Hanna Rhoden, Hannah Gilley, Kenneth Rhoden, Gary Rhoden

Isaiah Jones and the fact that he was questioned can be discussed. His statements in the press can be discussed. LE has made no statements about Jones being a suspect or cleared, only that they are aware of the Facebook threats and are looking into that as one of several possible leads. Mr. Jones opted to self identify as a suspect in an article on April 26th. Then on the 28th he is quoted as saying “I talked with the police. And I'm not even a suspect. They know that it was not me.”

Rusty Mangold, like Jones, has been named in the press and that can be discussed. The press has printed some of his Facebook posts about the dispute and the murders. That is all up for discussion.

Keep in mind the following as you do

Police have made no comment on Mongold and Jones’ claims, due to the ongoing investigation. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...-threats-clear-ohio-murders-article-1.2617899

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While police have revealed no suspects or motive in the killings, the presence of marijuana grow sites near the bodies have led many to believe the murders were drug-related. - See more at: http://www.detroitnewstime.com/regi...e-at-the-wrong-time.html#sthash.qBuPJUat.dpuf

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Donald Stone, family member of the Rhodens, who discovered Kenneth's body, is not a suspect (the gossip boards notwithstanding) under Websleuths definition. You may discuss his interviews, statements, reported actions and behaviors, 911 call, etc. you may not sleuth him or accuse him of being the killer. you may identify things about his statements or actions that you feel are odd, unusual or do not make sense.

Same goes with Bobbie Jo, who discovered another crime scene. Discuss her 911 call, any public statements, etc. Do not sleuth her or suggest she is involved in the killings.

Pheasant said:

I'm surprised they seem to be getting a pass from the media. I wish there were cameras on the reporters at the first 2 press conferences, because I feel like they would have had the "are these guys serious?" look on their faces. They seem to be asking questions and getting knocked down, then just moving on. That seems strange to me. I've been expecting a reporter to lay into them or read a scathing article, I wonder if that will happen after today's funerals.

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I think it's coming now that the funerals are over.

cady said:

Closest relative would be Chris' mom. JMO

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Geneva would be after CR1 grandchildren. Ohio law will give the property equally divided among FR children and HR children. The court will appoint an administrator of the estate who will handle things until the kids come of age.

"

• If there is no surviving spouse, but surviving children or their descendants, each of the children receives an equal share of the estate. Descendants of a deceased child divide that child’s equal share.
• If the decedent has no surviving spouse or children and no descendants of deceased children, the estate goes to his or her surviving parent(s) or, if both parents have died, in equal shares to brothers and sisters or their descendants."

https://www.ohiobar.org/forpublic/resources/lawfactspamphlets/pages/lawfactspamphlet-1.aspx

pisces51 said:

Could they be worried about internal leaks?

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I don't know.. There are just so many things for me. It could be so simple that Kasich is running for POTUS.

There has been media coverage twice now about how he eats so it could be they are trying to keep anything and everything as quiet as possible because of the campaign. People and the media will jump on anything and everything that has zero to do with a politician personally.

The murders aren't Kasich's fault but there is a certain "the buck stops here" that also comes into play during an election year.

KKearns said:

I would think they would auction it off.

Here when items are seized in drug cases, they auction them off.

The state also auctions property regularly for delinquent property taxes so auctioning off property isn't something foreign to a state.

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In our state, the State will auction off everything....property and contents....if the owner was on Medicaid. A lot of people don't realize that. They think Medicaid is free, but it is paid back when someone dies if they have anything to auction off. I am not sure I see Chris on Medicaid .....not sure if he had any hospital visits. But, I could see some of them being on Medicaid. Might even be why the property was in Chris' name....to avoid Medicaid from selling it in the end.

oceanblueeyes said:

I really don't think these properties are going to be released. They may seize the homes, land, and vehicles since drugs were being made at three locations. I don't know about the one location where they didn't find a grow-op.

If the family does get to keep any of the personal items or if the police decides not to seize anything a Probate Judge will assign an Executor/Executrix to be over each victim's estate if they did not have a Will.

IMO

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Absent a will, I would expect the grandchildren to inherit and a conservator to be appointed.

From last thread

no one said:

In our state, the State will auction off everything....property and contents....if the owner was on Medicaid. A lot of people don't realize that. They think Medicaid is free, but it is paid back when someone dies if they have anything to auction off. I am not sure I see Chris on Medicaid .....not sure if he had any hospital visits. But, I could see some of them being on Medicaid. Might even be why the property was in Chris' name....to avoid Medicaid from selling it in the end.

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I know a lady that happened to

She was in an accident, from that she rec'd 10,000. She gave it to her son to keep for her because of being on Medicaid. She decided she wanted to use the money to pay her funeral expense and she did.

Someone from I think SS came and did a review, during that she mentioned the paid up funeral.

Well she had to go to SS office, they told her she had cash in all the life ins policies she had and give them the money. Also they would be taking an amount from her SS check.

They never got all the money back she died a few yrs later. I was surprised they didn't suspend the Medicaid.





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Betty P said:

Ohio has a problem with trafficking workers, some of the biggest offenders have been egg farms

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/07/12/workers-trafficked-for-ohio-egg-farms-had-little-contact-lived-in-poverty.html

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Usually those laying farms are owned by the big chicken companies. They have different types of farms.

My cousin that had a Tyson chicken farm had layers and eggs had to be gathered. The people down the street had a farm and they raised chickens to be slaughtered.

Everyone I know that lives in a town where these major chicken companies have plants, all say the same, they have illegals working there. Also a documentary I saw years ago about chicken plants and it wasnt even about illegals, addressed the issue of illegals and the chicken plants and the government being well aware. Some of the towns had housing built for the illegals they were employing. The government would go in every so often and arrest a few and deport them in those conditions, leaving all the others, then someone would replace those deported.

Seems to be a real issue with the chicken processing plants and the government seems to know it is.

AG's Office: Vehicles towed 'part of investigation' in Pike County

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/new...owed-part-investigation-pike-county/83882994/

KKearns said:

AG's Office: Vehicles towed 'part of investigation' in Pike County

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/new...owed-part-investigation-pike-county/83882994/

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Probably their personal vehicles....I thought that they were towing the salvage vehicles which would be time consuming, lol. JMO

I think it's possible that someone with motive joined forces with someone else with a different motive.

ETA With the stipulation the children would be spared if they helped with the planning.

From the above article..

"She added that the homes would eventually be released back to the family of the deceased, but the Attorney General's Office told The Enquirer on Monday that there is no timetable for that release."

KKearns said:

From the above article..

"She added that the homes would eventually be released back to the family of the deceased, but the Attorney General's Office told The Enquirer on Monday that there is no timetable for that release."

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I think the catch here is they were not arrested and convicted of growing pot.No one alive now who lived there to seize the property from in court.

WVWoman said:

I think the catch here is they were not arrested and convicted of growing pot.No one alive now who lived there to seize the property from in court.

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That's what I was thinking possibly also.

If there had been a bust and they were killed, that would have been different.. They would have had a crime that had been committed.

Kenneth, found last and buried last away from the others as he lived. I wonder what part he played in the lives of the Chris Sr. family. It must have been significant to include him in the rampage.

WVWoman said:

I think the catch here is they were not arrested and convicted of growing pot.No one alive now who lived there to seize the property from in court.

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And if anyone felt that money was "owed" to them, they would never try to collect it.....haha. JMO

Following

Han said:

Kenneth, found last and buried last away from the others as he lived. I wonder what part he played in the lives of the Chris Sr. family. It must have been significant to include him in the rampage.

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I think the only reason he is buried away from the others is because he had a son die that is buried where he is going.

My guess him being killed means he was very involved in whatever the reason was for the killings. He was far enough away that it seems he wouldn't have known until the next day.