OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) #12

[Everyday Grace]

A mention some was in the garage not on him IIR!

Yep.

“I walk in [to a garage] and I see a tray of marijuana plants on the floor and I turned around and I walk back out of the building and I say we need to call 911,” he explained.

http://nbc4i.com/2016/05/05/pike-co...-cousins-body-calling-911-on-day-of-massacre/

 

[Margo/Mom]

The FBI is not the best homicide investigation unit in the world. Why? They don't investigate a lot of homicides.


In every single scenario I come up with regarding any crime scene investigation a rural Ohio sheriff should always call the BCI first. The BCI has crime scene units whose sole job is to investigate crime scenes. Small county sheriff's offices may or may not have detectives- no crime scene investigators. The BCI has a wider network of contacts at all federal agencies than any county sheriff is going to have.

Going through the proper channels is a big deal in law enforcement.

I would expect the FBI to be best attuned to racketeering aspects, if there are any.

 

[Tulessa]

Has this been posted? I'm wondering if there is a connection.
OWENSBORO, KY (WFIE) - Kentucky State Police says three bodies found in the Ohio River could be connected and one had a gunshot wound to the head.

WFIE reports that the body of a woman was found Thursday morning by barge workers near the Little Hurricane boat ramp in Owensboro. It's the third body found in the river in just two days.

http://www.lex18.com/story/31958734...?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_LEX_18

 

[no one]

if they thought it was truly cartel they wouldn't expect them to return. Therefore that leads me to believe they have suspect(s) and they are someone who is still in town someone familiar or close to the locations of the murders.

Possibly, or they were maybe even thinking of family/extended family rifling thru it. I have personally witnessed a lot of ugly things from family after a death. They mentioned there were things in there important to the family, even pictures. I don't think they would have moved them for that reason, but I don't relate the move to rule out the cartel. Believe me, once they released those trailers where they were sitting, every vulture in that family would have been helping themselves....even to the pictures. I have seen it before, unfortunately.

 

[VicVixvi]

Could that fit the parameters of the kid who lives in Waverly and posted threats on FB?

Waverly is in Northern Pike County.

 

[Hilda Swenson]

The FBI is not the best homicide investigation unit in the world. Why? They don't investigate a lot of homicides.
In every single scenario I come up with regarding any crime scene investigation a rural Ohio sheriff should always call the BCI first. The BCI has crime scene units whose sole job is to investigate crime scenes. Small county sheriff's offices may or may not have detectives- no crime scene investigators. The BCI has a wider network of contacts at all federal agencies than any county sheriff is going to have.
Going through the proper channels is a big deal in law enforcement.

The FBI has stepped in with cases of child welfare though. These kids may have been spared murder and are hopefully safe with relatives at the moment but there is no doubt they were egregiously endangered. Clearly child abuse.

 

[lusd]

I find the fact that they have taken the actual trailers super weird! I wasn't sure if this was common practice with crime scenes where mobile homes were concerned, so I did some looking around and could only find one instance of a man who'd kidnapped a girl and they wanted to take the mobile home they suspected he took her to as evidence....and his attorney was arguing against it. Otherwise, I can't really find any other cases where this has been done? Has anyone else ever heard of such an extreme measure to preserve an entire crime scene? Am I off base in thinking this is bizarre?

As for Bobby Jo's interview? The only thing I find truly odd about it is the time lag in there between getting to ChSR and Gary's trailer....to actually calling the police.

From Chris Graves' article..

"That Friday morning started out much like every other morning, she said. Manley got up about 6:10 a.m. to wake her 15-year-old daughter by 6:30 a.m. and get her on the bus to school by 7. Then -- as she did most every weekday morning -- she drove over to the trailer of Christopher Rhoden, Sr., 40, to feed his dogs and chickens. Rhoden was her brother-in-law."

She goes on to say...

"She had a friend and his wife with her when she pulled into the driveway. She left her cellphone charging in the car and went up to the trailer. She turned the handle of the door and thought it was odd it was locked, she said. She also thought it was odd that Rhoden's two pit bulls were outside on the front porch, one sitting in a recliner. The animals normally stayed inside the trailer, she said.

She found the key and opened the door."


If we take the word of the writer, who instead of using her direct quotes, summarizes her words FOR HER....there is a fairly large time lag here between 7:00 AM when she gets her daughter on the bus and 7:49 when she makes the call to 911.

There are gaps in this reporters reporting that I don't like. The reporter either doesn't ask, or doesn't bother giving us fairly vital information in what is an incredibly important interview in a HUGE murder investigation. What we don't know is...

-Did she have to pick up the woman and the woman's husband between dropping her daughter off for the bus and finding Chris and Gary, or did she pick them up BEFORE she dropped her daughter off for the bus? This could account for that time lapse in there, and would make it seem a lot less vague to the people reading this article.
-Exactly what time does she believe she got to ChrisSR's house? Surely she can estimate about how long it took her to get her daughter on the bus, etc.

You cannot report exact times in an article and then not fill in the gaps, especially when you're dealing with this kind of information! It drives me crazy. If you get something as exclusive as this, I would think you would check, check and triple check both your quotes (when you bother using them) and your thoroughness!
(Sorry! Rant over...moving on....)

We also now know that, once she'd found Chris and Gary, she went over to tell Frankie Jr. that she'd found his dad dead. In the end of her 911 call I am pretty sure she says, "I have to go and check on Frankie!" Which, given what she'd just seen and their close proximity, makes total sense to me.

I know people have been questioning the 3 year old "unlocking" the door, but I can think of an explanation for that. The back door of my home, if I turn the tiny locking mechanism on the knob (in the middle), it will lock the door from the inside, and nobody can get IN. However, I do not have to turn it again to get OUT-I simply have to turn the knob and the door opens. I have, sadly, done this and locked myself out of my own house more than I care to admit...because once that is turned, you're not getting back in without a key! It's truly aggravating sometimes, especially when you're forgetful like me. Granted, this is just an opinion on how he might have done it because I have no way of knowing what kinds of locks they had. But, it's certainly possible!

She also confirmed the open windows! Their weather cannot have been much different than ours lately since we're fairly close counties, and our nights here (particularly when the murders happened) have been CHILLY. With FR and HG having a 6 month old baby in bed with them and a 3 year old sleeping in the house as well, I can't imagine they'd need too much cool air coming in. The fact that BJR even thought to note that the windows were open is a good indication that it's probably not their norm. That leads me to another question the reporter didn't ask, or just didn't mention...

-Which windows were open?

We know she said bedrooms, but were they open into the bedrooms where she found the bodies, or were these different rooms? You can safely assume these places probably had at least two bedrooms, right? Most trailers that size, even if they're tiny...have at least two bedrooms. Could someone seriously sneak in the window of these trailers, DIRECTLY into the room where these people are sleeping, without making a sound? BJR says FR was laying on his back (with one black eye) and HG was laying on her side in the fetal position...so they clearly didn't get up an put up any fight. SURELY they would have heard someone creeping in their window?!? In an old trailer, that would have to make some noise. Not to mention, they'd really need something to stand on to hoist themselves up and into it if they had any hope of being even semi-quiet. That trailer metal likes to rattle!

This is not to mention that someone in ChrSR's home, be it either him or GR, were dragged from the front room to one of the bedrooms. This kind of helps to solidify my initial theory about how they were found and what might have transpired there when they were killed. I won't bother posting it again, but it was one of my first posts here on Websleuths if you want to read it....

Again, there are my two cents. If there's something I've missed with the times, the door or the windows, please let me know. I have tried to be very careful about being thorough when I read this stuff, but sometimes I get it all backwards!

MOO By the windows being open could it also have something to do with trying to mess up the body temp? During an autopsy they do a body temp to determine time of death?

For the door being locked could they possible have a deadlock on there doors? What BJM stated I don't believe they lock there doors. MOO

 

[Margo/Mom]

I also thought along the same lines for a while. Except I figured it this way. Visitors were at CR1's with GR and him. Dana works a double and since she and CR1 are reconciling she calls to tell him and asks what he is doing. "Just hanging out/partying with ....." Then KR calls "whatcha doing man?" "Just hanging out/partying with ...." Frankie calls/comes over. Same thing. CR2 or HR calls and asks for money/other items to borrow or a favor(as kids often do daily or mine does at least). "Come on over and get it(or I'll work on it). Then the fight breaks out and CR1 and GR are killed. Killers go next door to eliminate FR and HG as witnesses. Go to KR's to eliminate him as a witness. Then waits for DR to get off work and eliminates the others.

Yes I know it's full of holes but it is possible. And just the kind of random thinking a druggie would have of let's kill them all. It is also the only thing that explains both KR and DR other than the stolen car/parts theory.

Just can't get my head around why both KR and DR were killed since DR probably didn't have a lot to do with the drug angle or with KR. Only other thing is CR1, FR and KR were the primary targets and DR got roped in because CR1 had been staying the night at her house and they went there looking for him first before going to the other trailer.

Third theory would be that DR was getting pills from the nursing home and the others were selling them. That would account for the four houses maybe? We don't know if the houses were ransacked or searched for something.

This is all pure speculation and JMO and so full of holes you could strain pasta through it.

I recently read a nice book about the mob and their involvement in Las Vegas. I recall one instance in which a very successful casino operator retired (with the blessing of his bosses) and moved out of state. Shortly thereafter the bosses decided that his considerable management skills were needed for a casino that was struggling. They visited, offered deals, etc. The retire operator was adamant that he really did not want to return. Some days later the man's sister-in-law was murdered. End result--he moved back to Vegas where he continued until his ultimate demise.

Now--what did the sister-in-law do to deserve killing? Nothing. It was a show of power.

All of which is to suggest that quite possibly there is less logic to who was killed than some are looking for. Certainly anyone who might be able to finger the killers (or figure out who they work for) would be a logical target. But it is also possible that some folks are nothing more than collateral damage--useful in sending the intended message to someone.

 

[Everyday Grace]

I would expect the FBI to be best attuned to racketeering aspects, if there are any.

They would indeed and would be working closely with BCI if any racketeering/conspiracy/organized crime elements are present in this case.

My experience (and my opinion) is that FBI/DEA/ATF/HSI are rarely "loud" as to their levels of involvement in investigations.

They tend to understate their involvement until arrests/indictments (whether they be state or federal) start happening. Sometimes not even then if there are any other related investigations that are ongoing.

I've been looking at federal cases in Ohio and Kentucky over a couple of years span and I haven't seen anything to indicate that BCI has anything but a productive working relationship with federal agencies.

Some in the public might feel better about investigations if the FBI stepped up in all their Efram Zimbalist, Jr./Elliott Ness glory, but it rarely looks that way in the real world. MOO.

 

[NWLady]

Things that make me go hmmmm....

5th search warrant - News reporter on the day of the murders reporting from the LFR scene states that investigators are searching a 5th scene "just across the Pike/Scioto border".
( http://m.whio.com/videos/news/new-p.../vDqhhQ/?ecmp=whiotv_social_facebook_2014_sfp )

Who's name is associated with property that is 1.2 miles(just into Scioto County) from KR's LFR address?
Who is a relative, albeit not by blood?
Who is also involved in the auto salvage business and has a place of business that is 10 minutes via back roads into Scioto County from LFR?
Who also lives just across the Scioto County line 5-10 minutes from LFR?
Who would have most certainly been around the Rhodens and likely involved in business with them?
Who would have most certainly been known to the dogs?
Who would have likely known about the cameras?
Who's body was found a few years ago, just a 5-10 minute drive across the Scioto county border and in the same area?
Who was suspected in that murder?

Did someone need money? <--- This is the question I can't answer.

Thank you for reposting that video. I had posted it awhile back when I ran across it because I hadn't seen it before and was really curious as to where it was.

 

[Everyday Grace]

New here... is there a way to bookmark this thread to easily return to it?

If you make a post on that thread, it will show up in your recent posts under the "My Profile" option at the top of your screen.

There may be other ways that are simpler, but I'm kinda new here, too, and I can get kinda lazy about learning too many new tricks.

 

[dayna769]

The FBI has stepped in with cases of child welfare though. These kids may have been spared murder and are hopefully safe with relatives at the moment but there is no doubt they were egregiously endangered. Clearly child abuse.

They don't step in for child endangering and I disagree with "clearly" child abuse. I think that is making a big assumption. You don't know the care they were given or how they were treated. You only know that 3 of the homes were growing pot.

They step in for cases involving *advertiser censored*; sexual exploitation; kidnapping and violent attacks.

 

[Hilda Swenson]

They don't step in for child endangering and I disagree with "clearly" child abuse. I think that is making a big assumption. You don't know the care they were given or how they were treated. You only know that 3 of the homes were growing pot.

They step in for cases involving *advertiser censored*; sexual exploitation; kidnapping and violent attacks.

They were in danger. It's only a miracle one of them wasn't killed. The parents may or may not have purposely put them in danger but they were. If this isn't a crime against a child an argument could be made easily imo. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac

 

[dayna769]

They were in danger. It's only a miracle one of them wasn't killed. The parents may or may not have purposely put them in danger but they were. If this isn't a crime against a child an argument could be made easily imo. https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac

I'm familiar with the site. I even posted a link to it a few times for the many people that don't understand what the FBI does.

If you read the site, never once does it mention child endangering!!! Do you know how insanely ridiculous it is to think that the FBI should just appear every time a child is endangered?

Never in a million years would it be considered a violent crime against a child in the context that FBI would step in. The state handles those cases and has specific departments to handle child endangering and child abuse. In case you missed it in my last post, I summarized in one sentence when the FBI steps in for children. You can see those examples on the link you provided. However, it doesn't say a thing about child endangering.

Because of the lifestyle of some of them you might assume that they were endangering a child but what about all the children where marijuana is legal? Do you think they are endangered too? Also, you don't know who was growing the pot or their other activities. Perhaps FR and HR had nothing to do with it.
You don't know and you are assuming and you are victim bashing. They might have been great parents that had nothing to do with anything illegal or they might have sat there and exhaled in the kids faces but the point is YOU don't know therefore it is wrong for you to make child abuse allegations. When the FBI steps in for abuse, it's sexually related.
Perhaps you should click on the link you provided and the scroll down to the bottom left where it says FEDERAL statutes. There you will find a complete list of the laws and responsibilities that the FBI handles.

 

[gngr~snap]

This is very helpful, dayna. I'm not sure that the crime scenes still need much processing after three weeks. But they probably do need to be protected and preserved. So, this post is very insightful.

http://www.11alive.com/mb/news/nation-now/scenes-of-death-roll-slowly-down-ohio-highways_/190116451

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[DropthePuck]

New here... is there a way to bookmark this thread to easily return to it?

You can subscribe to a thread. Right above the posts on this page you'll see where it says 'thread tools', click on that and you have the option of subscribing to a thread. After you subscribe, click on 'settings' and you can manage your subscriptions there. Subscribed threads with new posts will show up there. You can choose how/if you want to be notified if a post is made to your subscribed thread. FYI, for cases with multiple threads, you will have to subscribe to each new thread when it is opened. For example, your subscription to thread #9 will not carry over to thread #10. Hope this helps!!

 

[gngr~snap]

Still confused as to why the homes have been removed - It sure looks like they have seized all the assets. Maybe it is for additional investigation, but all the homes are boarded up like I would expect to see if seized. I can't imagine what more they would expect or hope to find after 3 weeks. I am counting the back hoe and all the vehicles as well.
Doesn't LE seize all assets in big drug busts?
MOO

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[tlcya]

Some posts were just removed.

Please remember that sleuthing the still living family members is not allowed. This includes reading their Facebook posts and then discussing here.

Thanks,

tlcya

:bump:

:nono:

Nothing has changed. Stop posting info that comes from still living family members social media accounts who have NOT been named suspects or persons of interest.

Continued attempts to skirt this may end with a loss of posting privileges.

 

[rsd1200]

if they thought it was truly cartel they wouldn't expect them to return. Therefore that leads me to believe they have suspect(s) and they are someone who is still in town someone familiar or close to the locations of the murders.

We don't know what all kind of evidence is inside of these homes for one, and for two, a lot of times the homes are not capable of being moved to a large storage area, so, three, it probably was just as cost effective to move the entire houses to a secure location to go through them and keep evidence straight, than to keep going back and forth, and have men out there guarding them. You don't see a whole lot of murders like this in so many locations, that the perps were not caught fairly quickly, or ended their own lives. The murders could have even had zero to do with anything that the Rhodens were doing w/pot, or whatever, but when they were murdered, it opened Pandora's box. Just a thought.

 

[sumzero]

Still confused as to why the homes have been removed - It sure looks like they have seized all the assets. Maybe it is for additional investigation, but all the homes are boarded up like I would expect to see if seized. I can't imagine what more they would expect or hope to find after 3 weeks. I am counting the back hoe and all the vehicles as well.
Doesn't LE seize all assets in big drug busts?
MOO

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

The explanation is provided at the link two posts above yours. Per AG DeWine, it's easier to protect the properties if they move them to a more secure location. No need to have deputies providing round-the-clock security at the original sites. Not sure it's any more enigmatic than that.