PIKETON, Ohio (AP) — Authorities have identified the eight family members who were fatally shot in the head in rural southern Ohio.
Seven adults and a teenage boy were found dead Friday at four different properties.
Authorities on Saturday identified them as 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his 16-year-old son, Christopher Rhoden Jr.; 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; 38-year-old Gary Rhoden; 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden; 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden.
The victims were found in homes near Piketon, about 60 miles south of Columbus.
Authorities say apparently some were killed as they slept, including a mother in bed with her 4-day-old baby nearby. The infant and two other small children were not harmed.
Investigators say none of the deaths appeared self-inflicted. No arrests have been made.
A woman who called 911 to report two of the eight slayings of an Ohio family says in a recording that she found her brother-in-law dead and “blood all over the house.”
Ohio’s attorney general released audio of two calls on Saturday.
In one made Friday morning, the out-of-breath caller says another person in the house also appears dead, and it looks like someone had “beat the crap out of them.”
Authorities have released few details about the case. They say investigators are still processing evidence from the four crimes scenes where the members of the Rhoden family were found in a rural Pike County. The victims include seven adults and a 16-year-old boy.
Another 911 caller reported finding his cousin with a gunshot wound.
Relatives of the eight family members killed are thanking authorities for their response and asking people to come forward with any information they might have about the killings.
Kimberly Newman, a member of the Ohio Crisis Response Team, delivered a statement from the family to reporters gathered Saturday down the road from some of the crime scenes.
Reading from the statement, Newman said the relatives would like to thank people for their prayers and support as authorities work to determine who targeted the clan on Friday and why.
The statement also requests that people be respectful of their family and their loss. The relatives urge those with information to call 855-BCI-OHIO
The Ohio Attorney General’s office says a Cincinnati-area businessman has put up a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the slayings of eight family members.
