OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) - #25

[Betty P]

January 21, 2017

When they turned down CR1's bil for expenses:


http://www.dispatch.com/news/201701...istance-money-to-family-of-christopher-rhoden





By them turning down CR1's bil's request, that seems to speak to them holding to the rules that if one is found to be involved in illegal activities, no money for burial nor for relative's expenses either. So far, the deceased at all other locations, except KR and no one has filed for him, as of this release, has been approved. If they were approved then how could an illegal operation be going on in their homes? Maybe a couple grams of pot for personal use, but not a full scale operation.

Then there's this:
October 23rd, 2016


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/10/2...to-cover-funeral-costs-for-rhoden-family.html

JMO, DeWine and Reader have been inconsistent and contradictory when it comes to accusations about MJ growing. They've been all over the place with it. Obviously, once the trailers, etc. were removed from the property, it didn't appear as if there was any large scale growing facilities on the premises. Take a look at aerial crime scene photos and note there aren't any power lines or extension cords running to other outbuildings. When trailers were removed, there was nothing underneath except the standard concrete pads. At most, any grow op would have consisted of some trays of seedlings or small plants, ready for transplanting outdoors once the weather warmed up. Why would LE exaggerate that information, unless it was to cast the deceased family members in an unsympathetic light? Why is LE behaving the way they are on this case? They refuse to even offer a motive for the killings.

Did any of the deceased family members, aside from GR, have any arrests/convictions for dealing or consuming drugs? Sadly, that's not very unusual behavior there, but the Rhoden family seemed to have avoided those pitfalls for the most part.

Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch are likely not engaging in this lawsuit to increase readership. Having lived in this state and followed the print media here for a couple of decades, neither is the kind of news outlet to question the political powers at the state capitol. Such activities by those two media outlets is extremely rare - they're risk averse. Rarely do they engage in investigative reporting on conservative politicians.


ETA: Anyone still wondering about the need to release unredacted autopsy reports to the news media should take the time to go back in the Columbus Dispatch's deposition taken with the Pike County Coroner. The aggressive behavior of the high priced attorney from DeWine's office during that deposition was pretty shocking. It's obvious the state has spent considerable time working to stop these autopsies from ever becoming public. It definitely raises a red flag.

Part of the results of these lawsuits has been to give some idea of how the investigation is being conducted, how many investigators are (or aren't) working on the case, how narrow it's been thus far, how quickly BCI took charge of the case and how they still seem to maintain control of it.

Link to Pike County Coroner's deposition

http://supremecourt.ohio.gov/pdf_viewer/pdf_viewer.aspx?pdf=816512.pdf

 

[amauet1]

.
I completely understand your concern amauet1, and your desire for truthful and transparent information, especially due to your being close to the location that these murders occurred. I know how much I want to see this solved and the assailant(s) brought to justice too, and it is not in my back door, (although it is the first thing that I check each morning and the last that I check each night, to see if anything has come to light).

I believe the murders were carried out in a very short span of time, and because of the short time-frame that they had to accomplish the murders, it will make the time/order of death hard to discern. When you look at the stomach contents, and then combine that with the last times that these folks were said to be seen alive, it can give you some idea of the time that the murders occurred. If it is possible to discern the order of deaths, it may be telling in some way. I'd like to know who was the last to see CR1 and GR, and what time, prior to their murders. What time did DS leave KR's camper?

I am not meaning to imply that you, nor anyone else, who wishes the autopsies to be released, are just morbidly waiting to read the gruesome details. I apologize if that is how my stance has been taken. I do, however, think that is the reason that the newspapers wish to have them released. The paper/website that gets the autopsies first, gets the most "clicks" and video "views".

What I am most frustrated about is that it seems that the AG and Reader are not on the same page, except to withhold information. I realize some information may need to be withheld but, as you pointed out, there's distrust with LE. I'm not slamming LE but all anyone has to do is a simple Google search and the problems that Pike, and other Ohio counties had, with their LE departments are there for the world to see.

Also, how can we be sure that we are not getting more of the same from the papers if the autopsies are released? Even the papers can't seem to keep things straight, and the papers cannot reprint the autopsy reports in full, or take photos to reprint (iirc). I am just a private person and wouldn't want my family members' autopsy details splashed across the papers for the sake of the paper's headlines which is what I think is the media's only reason for wanting access to them.

Finally, if there is anything at all in those autopsy reports that should be kept private for the sake of winning this case at trial then I'm all for keeping them under lock and key. But please don't think that I think you, or anyone else wanting them released, simply wants the gory details. I understand where you are coming from, and I respect your reasons for wanting them released. I just don't think that we'll get satisfaction, from our frustration, through the autopsy reports. However, I could be wrong. If they are released, I hope that I am wrong, and it shakes this whole thing loose.

I totally agree with you! I'm afraid my frustration is showing. It is just so very wrong of "the powers that be" to not be more reassuring with the families and public. And it might just be my interpretation, but the powers that be and how they have handled things so far in this case, have done nothing to reassure me that this won't happen again. I mean isn't "To serve and protect" part of their "vows" when they take office? Well me/myself, I'm not feeling very protected. I fear things that are unknown and need some genuine reassurance that the murderers are not out there ready to do it again, anytime, to anyone anywhere. I did not personally know any of this family and don't really care what they were doing illegal or not. We truly do not know what went on in their lives. Everyone makes mistakes in life, it's part of life. Having a chance to learn from mistakes and making it right, is every human beings salvation. Someone came along and took this away from these people, with no regard for them, their children and extended family. Sorry, that dang soapbox slips right under me with no warning! LOL

 

[Betty P]

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has said the state will cover the cost of Dana Rhoden’s funeral — about $7,500, according to our news partner WCPO.

The Cincinnati television station reports Rhoden’s mother, Judy Manley, filed the claim for funeral expenses.


http://www.whio.com/news/state-cove...-county-murder-victim/c9hVFQZJlMyDtNzYp6l4pM/

How nice they handled this so expeditiously. :gaah:

Are any of these surviving family members getting any kind of victim assistance from the state or county?

 

[rsd1200]

JMO, DeWine and Reader have been inconsistent and contradictory when it comes to accusations about MJ growing. They've been all over the place with it. Obviously, once the trailers, etc. were removed from the property, it didn't appear as if there was any large scale growing facilities on the premises. Take a look at aerial crime scene photos and note there aren't any power lines or extension cords running to other outbuildings. When trailers were removed, there was nothing underneath except the standard concrete pads. At most, any grow op would have consisted of some trays of seedlings or small plants, ready for transplanting outdoors once the weather warmed up. Why would LE exaggerate that information, unless it was to cast the deceased family members in an unsympathetic light? Why is LE behaving the way they are on this case? They refuse to even offer a motive for the killings.

Did any of the deceased family members, aside from GR, have any arrests/convictions for dealing or consuming drugs? Sadly, that's not very unusual behavior there, but the Rhoden family seemed to have avoided those pitfalls for the most part.

Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch are likely not engaging in this lawsuit to increase readership. Having lived in this state and followed the print media here for a couple of decades, neither is the kind of news outlet to question the political powers at the state capitol. Such activities by those two media outlets is extremely rare - they're risk averse. Rarely do they engage in investigative reporting on conservative politicians.


ETA: Anyone still wondering about the need to release unredacted autopsy reports to the news media should take the time to go back in the Columbus Dispatch's deposition taken with the Pike County Coroner. The aggressive behavior of the high priced attorney from DeWine's office during that deposition was pretty shocking. It's obvious the state has spent considerable time working to stop these autopsies from ever becoming public. It definitely raises a red flag.

Part of the results of these lawsuits has been to give some idea of how the investigation is being conducted, how many investigators are (or aren't) working on the case, how narrow it's been thus far, how quickly BCI took charge of the case and how they still seem to maintain control of it.

.
I just don't see what the autopsy reports would tell us, as private citizens, other than, that they died a horrible death. We're not going to get info as to what was in the trailers, what was taken, any type of evidence at the scene, other than the redacted parts about the deceased's body. What could those redacted parts tell me that would help me, as an average, private, citizen? I'm not trying to be difficult, but I just don't see how releasing them will be beneficial to the public but may be beneficial to the defense at court time.

 

[Betty P]

.
I just don't see what the autopsy reports would tell us, as private citizens, other than, that they died a horrible death. We're not going to get info as to what was in the trailers, what was taken, any type of evidence at the scene, other than the redacted parts about the deceased's body. What could those redacted parts tell me that would help me, as an average, private, citizen? I'm not trying to be difficult, but I just don't see how releasing them will be beneficial to the public but may be beneficial to the defense at court time.

First, they'll likely be released to the news media, who will then write news stories based on the information they contain. Same thing just happened with the Bryon Macron case in Medina County, OH. Reporters viewed the AR, then wrote a summary of important information it contained. They didn't reveal anything that could compromise the investigation.

The AR's can provide important information about the crime scene and victims, how the murders occurred, timelines, etc. They can also reveal more information about how evidence was gathered, how the crime scene investigation was handled.

Pike County and BCI have collected hundreds of pieces of evidence: the AR results, toxicology, likely all electronic records of cell phone and internet activity, ballistic reports, etc. They have the homes and all the possessions of all the victims locked up in a warehouse. They impounded every vehicle on the properties and examined them thoroughly. IOW, they have a mountain of evidence they can use to weed out false confessions, etc.

But they still don't have a motive? They still give conflicting messages about grow ops and how much danger exists for members of the community and surviving family members.

 

[rsd1200]

I totally agree with you! I'm afraid my frustration is showing. It is just so very wrong of "the powers that be" to not be more reassuring with the families and public. And it might just be my interpretation, but the powers that be and how they have handled things so far in this case, have done nothing to reassure me that this won't happen again. I mean isn't "To serve and protect" part of their "vows" when they take office? Well me/myself, I'm not feeling very protected. I fear things that are unknown and need some genuine reassurance that the murderers are not out there ready to do it again, anytime, to anyone anywhere. I did not personally know any of this family and don't really care what they were doing illegal or not. We truly do not know what went on in their lives. Everyone makes mistakes in life, it's part of life. Having a chance to learn from mistakes and making it right, is every human beings salvation. Someone came along and took this away from these people, with no regard for them, their children and extended family. Sorry, that dang soapbox slips right under me with no warning! LOL

I find the powers that be, in this case, to be very frustrating, and secretive. It seems they don't know what page the other is on at all. Nor do they seem to want outside help to solve this (FBI). These are the things that frustrate me. I realize that murder cases can sometimes take years to solve, and sometimes only by chance, but I do think that they've not been fair to the public in disseminating consistent and accurate information.

 

[Betty P]

A year after slayings, few answers in Pike County

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170412/year-after-slayings-few-answers-in-pike-county

Earlier version of this article also said there's going to be a press conference tomorrow in Cbus, but it's not there now. Will keep looking. ETA: It's there.

Little from DeWine, but Reader mostly talks about how much money has been spent on the investigation.

The county is working to put its rent for the space into an escrow account, Beekman said. But he acknowledged that building a structure to house the trailers on county property may make better fiscal sense in the long run as the sheriff will have to keep the trailers until the case is solved and through court.

“If you figure that we might have to keep this stuff for 10 years, it’s cheaper to build the pole barn,” Beekman said.

They're spending $15,000 yr now to store everything at Hasdell Chemical warehouse in Waverly. Hasdell is in bankruptcy court.

For those outside of Ohio, the state is notoriously stingy in recent years. Well, stingy about some things.

 

[rsd1200]

First, they'll likely be released to the news media, who will then write news stories based on the information they contain. Same thing just happened with the Bryon Macron case in Medina County, OH. Reporters viewed the AR, then wrote a summary of important information it contained. They didn't reveal anything that could compromise the investigation.

The AR's can provide important information about the crime scene and victims, how the murders occurred, timelines, etc. They can also reveal more information about how evidence was gathered, how the crime scene investigation was handled.

Pike County and BCI have collected hundreds of pieces of evidence: the AR results, toxicology, likely all electronic records of cell phone and internet activity, ballistic reports, etc. They have the homes and all the possessions of all the victims locked up in a warehouse. They impounded every vehicle on the properties and examined them thoroughly. IOW, they have a mountain of evidence they can use to weed out false confessions, etc.

But they still don't have a motive? They still give conflicting messages about grow ops and how much danger exists for members of the community and surviving family members.

BBM
I agree with you here. Autopsy reports aren't really going to help us much with that though. The report is not really going to tell us anything about LE's handling of the scene. Releasing the AR is not going to give us cell phone records, internet activity, etc.. Toxicology, yes. Other injuries to the deceased, yes. Time of and order of death, I doubt it on this case. Ballistics, yes, but I'd guess it will still be redacted.


https://www.forensicmag.com/article/2013/10/reviewing-and-comprehending-autopsy-reports

 

[rsd1200]

A year after slayings, few answers in Pike County

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170412/year-after-slayings-few-answers-in-pike-county

Earlier version of this article also said there's going to be a press conference tomorrow in Cbus, but it's not there now. Will keep looking. ETA: It's there.

Little from DeWine, but Reader mostly talks about how much money has been spent on the investigation.



They're spending $15,000 yr now to store everything at Hasdell Chemical warehouse in Waverly. Hasdell is in bankruptcy court.

For those outside of Ohio, the state is notoriously stingy in recent years. Well, stingy about some things.

Well that sounds promising:

[FONT=&quot]“If you figure that we might have to keep this stuff for 10 years, it’s cheaper to build the pole barn,” Beekman said.[/FONT]

 

[everybodhi]

Update tomorrow morning according to 10tv site.

"Attorney General Mike DeWine and Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader will address the status of the investigation Thursday morning in Columbus."
http://www.10tv.com/article/officials-provide-update-rhoden-family-murder-investigation

 

[Dudly]

JMO, DeWine and Reader have been inconsistent and contradictory when it comes to accusations about MJ growing. They've been all over the place with it. Obviously, once the trailers, etc. were removed from the property, it didn't appear as if there was any large scale growing facilities on the premises. Take a look at aerial crime scene photos and note there aren't any power lines or extension cords running to other outbuildings. When trailers were removed, there was nothing underneath except the standard concrete pads. At most, any grow op would have consisted of some trays of seedlings or small plants, ready for transplanting outdoors once the weather warmed up. Why would LE exaggerate that information, unless it was to cast the deceased family members in an unsympathetic light? Why is LE behaving the way they are on this case? They refuse to even offer a motive for the killings.

Did any of the deceased family members, aside from GR, have any arrests/convictions for dealing or consuming drugs? Sadly, that's not very unusual behavior there, but the Rhoden family seemed to have avoided those pitfalls for the most part.

Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch are likely not engaging in this lawsuit to increase readership. Having lived in this state and followed the print media here for a couple of decades, neither is the kind of news outlet to question the political powers at the state capitol. Such activities by those two media outlets is extremely rare - they're risk averse. Rarely do they engage in investigative reporting on conservative politicians.


ETA: Anyone still wondering about the need to release unredacted autopsy reports to the news media should take the time to go back in the Columbus Dispatch's deposition taken with the Pike County Coroner. The aggressive behavior of the high priced attorney from DeWine's office during that deposition was pretty shocking. It's obvious the state has spent considerable time working to stop these autopsies from ever becoming public. It definitely raises a red flag.

Part of the results of these lawsuits has been to give some idea of how the investigation is being conducted, how many investigators are (or aren't) working on the case, how narrow it's been thus far, how quickly BCI took charge of the case and how they still seem to maintain control of it.

Link to Pike County Coroner's deposition

http://supremecourt.ohio.gov/pdf_viewer/pdf_viewer.aspx?pdf=816512.pdf

I agree about the grow operations. First there were "commercial" grow operations at three properties but no evidence of them. Then there wasn't enough to cause them to get murdered over it. Then another statement said over 200 plants in an indoor grow operation but again no proof shown. It was said the funeral expenses were paid for everyone but CR1 and GR . Then only DR's is being paid for. What a totally screwed up mess. I believe DeWine greatly exaggerated things, due to political ambitions, at first and is too worried to admit it because of political ambitions. DeWine and Reader don't seem to be in the same book, let alone on the same page.It can be hard to tell they are discussing the same case. I wonder sometimes if DeWine isn't holding Reader back from moving forward on the case. The way it seems to be being handled, I doubt it will ever be solved. I would bet there has never been a crime committed in the US where so little information was released. Most other cases there are pictures of crime scenes, possible suspects or or something. With this case, no proof of a crime was committed..

 

[amauet1]

IMO, they are not going to give any new updates, its going to be more of the same lip service. And I agree Dudley, this is a cold case they just haven't "announced" it officially. And why is it being kept secret? Most crimes of this kind, LE's are asking for help from the public. And I'll be darned if the public didn't help them in solving most of the crimes.....hmmm.

 

[Betty P]

BBM
I agree with you here. Autopsy reports aren't really going to help us much with that though. The report is not really going to tell us anything about LE's handling of the scene. Releasing the AR is not going to give us cell phone records, internet activity, etc.. Toxicology, yes. Other injuries to the deceased, yes. Time of and order of death, I doubt it on this case. Ballistics, yes, but I'd guess it will still be redacted.


https://www.forensicmag.com/article/2013/10/reviewing-and-comprehending-autopsy-reports

Hey, it's ok for us to disagree! As I pointed out in my previous post, the lawsuit by Columbus Dispatch has already revealed some information about how the investigation is being done. There's much this process can provide the public. As we've all said, this case is all but gone cold. Any information the taxpaying public can glean from this process and the AR's about how the investigation is being conducted is helpful. Otherwise, we're left sitting on our hands in the dark. And that's ok if people want to do that, too! I still respect people who want to sit on the sidelines and wait for LE to say or do something. But many people following this case have growing concerns and feel its important to do what's necessary to make sure it's resolved and that the surviving family members are treated with compassion and kindness while getting all the answers they're entitled to.

 

[Betty P]

I agree about the grow operations. First there were "commercial" grow operations at three properties but no evidence of them. Then there wasn't enough to cause them to get murdered over it. Then another statement said over 200 plants in an indoor grow operation but again no proof shown. It was said the funeral expenses were paid for everyone but CR1 and GR . Then only DR's is being paid for. What a totally screwed up mess. I believe DeWine greatly exaggerated things, due to political ambitions, at first and is too worried to admit it because of political ambitions. DeWine and Reader don't seem to be in the same book, let alone on the same page.It can be hard to tell they are discussing the same case. I wonder sometimes if DeWine isn't holding Reader back from moving forward on the case. The way it seems to be being handled, I doubt it will ever be solved. I would bet there has never been a crime committed in the US where so little information was released. Most other cases there are pictures of crime scenes, possible suspects or or something. With this case, no proof of a crime was committed..

BBM. Yes their communications are waaay off. Let's not leave Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk out of the picture. He's also part of the investigation and, legally speaking, is the one responsible for investigating and bringing charges.

This case definitely needs someone from outside the state to take over. One of the biggest crimes in Ohio history and it's a cold case. :facepalm:

 

[rsd1200]

Hey, it's ok for us to disagree! As I pointed out in my previous post, the lawsuit by Columbus Dispatch has already revealed some information about how the investigation is being done. There's much this process can provide the public. As we've all said, this case is all but gone cold. Any information the taxpaying public can glean from this process and the AR's about how the investigation is being conducted is helpful. Otherwise, we're left sitting on our hands in the dark. And that's ok if people want to do that, too! I still respect people who want to sit on the sidelines and wait for LE to say or do something. But many people following this case have growing concerns and feel its important to do what's necessary to make sure it's resolved and that the surviving family members are treated with compassion and kindness while getting all the answers they're entitled to.

.
I'm cool w/disagreeing. It's just that there's so much that they could have released to the public already, and haven't, and so much that they've backtracked on, kept secretive, etc...that had nothing to do with releasing the AR, that I just honestly don't see how the release of the AR will assist. If they do get it released, I hope that I am wrong and it shakes something loose. I honestly have begun to lose faith that they've had much of anything to go on since the get go, or, they've tried really hard to just make this all very confusing and hope that it will all just fade away from the get go. I just find it strange. I also found it strange that things were redacted in the first release of the AR that seemed to be no reason for them to be redacted. It was almost like they redacted things out of spite for having to release the AR.

 

[mamamumbles]

Boy I can hardly wait for the press conference tomorrow so I can find out that it's not going to be solved! Sorry for the negatively. This is just very frustrating. I hope there is eventually some justice for this family and for society in general. Knowing there are people walking around who have shot young people and those with babies next to them is disheartening

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[rsd1200]

BBM. Yes their communications are waaay off. Let's not leave Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk out of the picture. He's also part of the investigation and, legally speaking, is the one responsible for investigating and bringing charges.

This case definitely needs someone from outside the state to take over. One of the biggest crimes in Ohio history and it's a cold case. :facepalm:

Agree 100%.
One of the biggest in Ohio, and likely one of the biggest in the entire U.S., at least in recent history.

 

[Dudly]

A year after slayings, few answers in Pike County

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170412/year-after-slayings-few-answers-in-pike-county

Earlier version of this article also said there's going to be a press conference tomorrow in Cbus, but it's not there now. Will keep looking. ETA: It's there.

Little from DeWine, but Reader mostly talks about how much money has been spent on the investigation.



They're spending $15,000 yr now to store everything at Hasdell Chemical warehouse in Waverly. Hasdell is in bankruptcy court.

For those outside of Ohio, the state is notoriously stingy in recent years. Well, stingy about some things.

WHIO said tonight that Reader and DeWine will hold a press conference tomorrow about this case. No mention of what time.

 

[Dudly]

.
I'm cool w/disagreeing. It's just that there's so much that they could have released to the public already, and haven't, and so much that they've backtracked on, kept secretive, etc...that had nothing to do with releasing the AR, that I just honestly don't see how the release of the AR will assist. If they do get it released, I hope that I am wrong and it shakes something loose. I honestly have begun to lose faith that they've had much of anything to go on since the get go, or, they've tried really hard to just make this all very confusing and hope that it will all just fade away from the get go. I just find it strange. I also found it strange that things were redacted in the first release of the AR that seemed to be no reason for them to be redacted. It was almost like they redacted things out of spite for having to release the AR.

Proof to back up ANY claims made by LE would be a good start. They seem happy to let the public guess if they are doing things for a valid reason or if they are totally incompetent...

 

[Dudly]

Boy I can hardly wait for the press conference tomorrow so I can find out that it's not going to be solved! Sorry for the negatively. This is just very frustrating. I hope there is eventually some justice for this family and for society in general. Knowing there are people walking around who have shot young people and those with babies next to them is disheartening

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Not to mention criminals thinking they can get away with this kind of crime in Ohio. Then families wondering if something happened to them, would the criminals be caught.