UNSOLVED Oh - Pike County: 8 People From One Family Dead As Police Hunt For Killer(s) #33

[rsd1200]

I never once pieced JR into every scenario. I pointed out the fact that all of these people are linked together. If anything, my theory would lead towards Johnny Kerns. I was also asking legitimate questions. We cannot get answers if we don’t ask the questions. Lets take the family linkage out of it and look at if from an unbiased standpoint without defending anyone.

Do I want to ask these questions? Absolutely not. But I also don’t see anyone close to this case screaming for justice anymore or begging for the answers.

Also Betty, people don’t have to have a history of violent murderous behavior to become a murderer. People kill every day who’ve never killed before.

Do I think Josh killed his family? No. Was I implying that he did? No. Could he have? Sure he could’ve. Along with anyone else who could’ve done so. ANYONE with Knowledge of this family and some sort of trust with them could’ve killed them. There’s no suspects so that means everyone’s a suspect. I’m not naming anyone as a suspect, that’s not my job. But I’m also not going to turn a blind eye to what is fact about some of the surrounding players in this case just because they share a last name with a victim.

I was pointing out all of the links. The drugs. The people who all seemed to be linked in this circle. It’s not normal, IMO.

I remember who the red truck was owned by. Let’s talk about him. Let’s see if he’s linked to Kerns. Or the Wagner’s. I know he’s linked to DS through WG. And that’s as far as I’ve gotten with that red truck besides lots of title transfers and some crazy mileage discrepancies.

ETA-Josh wasn’t busted for doing drugs. He was busted for trafficking drugs. He had $7700 worth of pills and $8000 cash. Addicts don’t have that amount of $$ nor do they have that amount of pills.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cincinnati.com/amp/97130596

Good points, and I agree for the most part, but Josh most definitely could be an addict, and a dealer, and have that amount of money and/or dope on him. The drug scene is a hard life though, and the ones who can pull that off, still don't usually have a long lifespan. They live day to day, moment by moment.

Even if it was over weed, which I'm doubtful that it is, but whatever it was about, if, the R's shorted someone, or didn't pay back money that had been fronted to them, for whatever reason... it very well could have put their lives in danger.

 

[rsd1200]

Dollar Bill has been protected like JK has. Except, I believe JK is an addict. His record shows charges for drugs, IIRC. Knowing what I know about addicts and dealers-they’re hardly ever one in the same. An addict doesn’t do well as a dealer because they can’t keep their hands off the product. A dealer is not usually an addict for the same reasons. It’s like putting a fish in a pond-the fish is gonna swim from one end to the other over and over.

We need to know what business dealings the W’s had with the R’s as well as if the W’a have any connection to Kerns.
Maybe the Newsome murders aren’t related to the W’s in the sense of motive. But perhaps they’re related in the sense of who pulled the trigger.

Example-
Someone strung out on drugs may have tried to rob Candy and things went “wrong” ending in two deaths.

That same person may have been “hired” to kill the R’s over a business dispute.

That’s JMO and theory.

We also need to know if Kerns has connections to Brooks and Gibson and that red truck.

ETA- an addict will usually deal small time..meaning they’ll sell enough dope to cover the cost of their own. They’re not making $$ off of it if they deal-they’re financing their habit.

 

[Dudly]

It wasn’t boarded up the day of the murders though was it? I thought LE boarded it up. And a person can still have stuff in a house and grow inside of it as well.

I did a quick look and didn't see any video or pic of the yellow house in the first few days to see if it was already boarded up.

 

[MittenScarpetta]

I did a quick look and didn't see any video or pic of the yellow house in the first few days to see if it was already boarded up.

This video shows a quick clip of the yellow house and I don’t see boards, BUT it’s a very short clip.

 

[Betty P]

Good points, and I agree for the most part, but Josh most definitely could be an addict, and a dealer, and have that amount of money and/or dope on him. The drug scene is a hard life though, and the ones who can pull that off, still don't usually have a long lifespan. They live day to day, moment by moment.

Even if it was over weed, which I'm doubtful that it is, but whatever it was about, if, the R's shorted someone, or didn't pay back money that had been fronted to them, for whatever reason... it very well could have put their lives in danger.

Agree, it seems possible Josh uses, too. Even if CR1 wasn't dealing hard drugs, he may have been very close to people who were through his own business. He likely knew who was selling what and possibly who was supplying it.

One part of the documentary GFWOO (just an abbreviation) that caught my attention was one of the missing women from the Chilli area told her mother that she and another young woman had been taken on a "weekend shopping trip" to Detroit by a woman officer from the Chilli or Ross County PD. That really struck me as odd. She said they went to buy clothes, etc. Why would a LEO take young women addicts/users on a weekend getaway to Detroit? It's not like its a major destination for shopping and tourism (no offense to Detroiters here at WS). Why does Detroit keep popping up? I'm thinking of some old references to some of the Rhodens going to Detroit for salvage car buying trips. May be nothing, or something. Detroit is a major part of the drug pipeline that runs through Ohio.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

I understand. I didn't mean to imply you were accusing him of murder, but am trying to encourage everyone to keep an open mind about others who might be involved. The person who owned the red truck when it was used in a murder seems pretty important. Yes, Josh R also dealt drugs, it appears. However, it doesn't sound like he was a big time dealer, more on a smaller scale. In context, consider all the hard drugs (oxy, heroin, fentanyl, meth, etc.) that are sold in the region in a year's time. He wasn't a big fish, but he answers to people higher up the chain, perhaps to Johnny Kerns. So which people are in the next tier or two of management in the Pike/Ross/Scioto/Adams county drug trafficking hierarchy? Who are their friends and associates? Those are or should be the people LE is looking for to solve the Rhoden murders. Whomever killed 8 family members in one night brought down a LOT of heat on the drug trafficking biz. JMO, it seems unlikely the lower tier drug dealers like Josh Rhoden and others would have the power to get help in pulling off a murder like that.

Anyway, I'm still considering the theory that the WS member who is former LE passed along: that whatever drama CR1 was involved in (snitching, etc.) was too much as the murders, missing women and drug busts in Chillicothe were already attracting too much attention and problems. Someone a little higher in the food chain decided to stop CR1 in his tracks before the situation got out of control. Was all the drama with Dollar Bill causing friction with his bosses or the competitors of his bosses? Dollar Bill and others have been playing a pretty dangerous game and everybody has to answer to somebody. It's amazing how well that guy has been protected.

This is O/T Betty but I just wanted to let people know some ways that the DOJ has to keep LE in line. This should serve as an example.

2018 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat - Autoblog

Now on to something on topic. Is it possible that Johnny Kerns was the big boss as far as drug trafficking went i.e. he was the one supplying all the dealers with product and CR1 decided to branch out into the OXY/heroin/fentanyl trade so JK decided to take him out as a lesson to anyone else who might want to encroach on his territory? The opioid trade is big business and worth huge amounts of money. If CR1 decided he wanted in on the action and JK was the kingpin who ran it all it's possible that with the help of JR and VRT that JK could have pulled off these 8 murders.

JMO

ETA: The point of that video was to show that the DOJ oversees the spending of taxpayer money by LE departments. So if they make an expenditure that seems excessive and unnecessary the DOJ can investigate that LE department.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

I think it was a Chevy. BUT-from the video above, Mr. Johnson said the neighbor heard what sounded like an old FORD truck. I feel like hearing and seeing are two different things when it comes to identifying a vehicle. If the witness cannot be sure it was a Ford because he didn’t see it, then in my mind he heard an older truck.

I’d also point out that Hannah Hazel has both Sowards’ and Hayslips’ on her fb friends.

Wouldn’t CR1 have to be dealing something more than MJ for Josh to be arrested based on evidence uncovered during the murder investigation?

Yes, they were all living in trailers. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again-that means nothing. How someone chooses to live when it comes to housing does not mean they are poor. You can look at the photos of the properties and see the $$. There’s barns. And uncountable amount of cars-even if they all didn’t run, the vehicles still had value ie parts, scrap, AND they all cost money to purchase. There’s heavy equipment on the property. Look at the photos of Jr-he wore name brand clothes. They all also hunted-that’s not cheap. Derby cars are not cheap. It’s expensive upkeep to own coon dogs you have to feed and maintain. Hanna’s got her nails done on photos on her IG, which is a luxury if you’re poor. It’s pricey to insure a 16 year old new driver on your insurance, however Jr was driving a sportier type of vehicle.

KR wasn’t poor either. He had a good job. I believe that was a choice to live in a camper on his brothers property.

They weren’t poor. They chose to put their money into other things besides their homes. And that’s okay.

In regards to VRT, look at her profile again. Notice the $$ she talks about spending on her child. Not poor.

Josh had a large sum of $$$ when he was busted. He wasn’t hurting. And all the pills he had would have brought him a lot more cash.

CN-I don’t know much about her, but I can assure you if she was dealing oxycodone like the above article suggests, she was making good $$ doing so.

I don’t believe JM was dealing or trafficking. I believe JM somehow ended up with a truck that was in question before he owned it. That’s JMO based off of comparison to the timelines and previous owners of the truck.

Again, the Wagner’s tie into this somehow and I don’t know how. But we know from articles they were business associates with CR1.

I did not mean that anyone named was poor. I meant that out of all the people I named CR1 and the W's seemed the most prosperous.
CR1 had a lot of assets and the W's lived on a pretty nice farm.

JMO

 

[Dudly]

May have an answer for something mentioned several times about the victims. I was watching a show on Investigation Discovery last night. It was noted that the victim had two black eyes. One of the investigators said that was common with people shot in the head at close range. This victim had been shot in the upper left forehead twice and had two black eyes.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

Just clarifying-Johnny Kerns is not a member of the Rhoden family. His uncle married a Rhoden. His Aunt Is/was a Rhoden prior to becoming a Kerns.

Got you. That was me jumping to conclusions.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

These murders had nothing to do with drugs. It was all about a domestic dispute. The police know who committed the murders, they just dont have the evidence to win a trial. The evidence is gone and the perpetrators are living 4000 miles away. This ase will never be solved without a confession.

I tend to agree with you, but exploring other avenues is a good thing. I happen to believe the W's are responsible but i think it was a domestic dispute combined with a falling out between CR1 and BW over business also.

JMO

 

[RAISINISBACK]

This video shows a quick clip of the yellow house and I don’t see boards, BUT it’s a very short clip.

I agree, it didn't look to be boarded up.

 

[Dudly]

I agree, it didn't look to be boarded up.

It doesn't appear that the front door had been used regularly. A lot of junk to move to get to it...

 

[MittenScarpetta]

I tend to agree with you, but exploring other avenues is a good thing. I happen to believe the W's are responsible but i think it was a domestic dispute combined with a falling out between CR1 and BW over business also.

JMO

To be completely honest, that is my main theory and has been for a while.

The majority don’t want to believe 8 people could be murdered over custody of a child, but I can see it happening. Custody can get contentious. Emotions run high. People get angry. And hell hath no fury like someone scorned-not only was JW no longer in HMR’s life, HMR was having someone else’s baby AND she was in a relationship with someone else.

I tend to believe IF that’s the motive behind the murders that 5 of the 8 were murdered because they could have sought some sort of rights to S, if only her mother died. The other 3 murdered, 2 of them were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and 1 was expected to show up there in the early morning hours.

Looking at statements made by JW:
He placed himself at one of the crime scenes hours before the murders and then recanted about pickup/drop off of S, later saying that happened a week prior.

The W’s would have known all of the crime scenes and properties, especially CR & FR.

Any basis the W’s had for using S as living in an unfit environment or even a home with too many people as an excuse to fight for custody was extinguished when DR got her new home-it was nice, it was well kept, and it wasn’t over habitated.
S had a nice home with her mommy and Nana.

The W’s have a strong financial backing. They have strong ties to the community. Research of them has shown how they operate business and handle breeding animals, both BW & AW and the elders.

I see AW as being controlling and manipulative-that’s just my opinion and perception of her.

I could go on as the list is long but the W’s and custody stagger between 1 and 2 on my top theories.

However-while he’s not named in this case, Johnny Kerns has peaked my interest. Normal criminals don’t just have an elderly woman’s body in a barrel show up on their property, get charged with being involved in her death, and then roam around free to yet again be named as a suspect in the mysterious shooting death of a 35 year old Rhoden cousin. Something isn’t right. Especially when the man had unrelated kidnapping charges not long before Hayslip’s disappearance and death.

 

[MittenScarpetta]

It doesn't appear that the front door had been used regularly. A lot of junk to move to get to it...

Even if they weren’t growing in there, wouldn’t it still make sense that the 5th search warrant the day of the murders would have been on that house? I can only imagine that LE needed to check that place for evidence as well.

 

[MittenScarpetta]

This is O/T Betty but I just wanted to let people know some ways that the DOJ has to keep LE in line. This should serve as an example.

2018 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat - Autoblog

Now on to something on topic. Is it possible that Johnny Kerns was the big boss as far as drug trafficking went i.e. he was the one supplying all the dealers with product and CR1 decided to branch out into the OXY/heroin/fentanyl trade so JK decided to take him out as a lesson to anyone else who might want to encroach on his territory? The opioid trade is big business and worth huge amounts of money. If CR1 decided he wanted in on the action and JK was the kingpin who ran it all it's possible that with the help of JR and VRT that JK could have pulled off these 8 murders.

JMO

ETA: The point of that video was to show that the DOJ oversees the spending of taxpayer money by LE departments. So if they make an expenditure that seems excessive and unnecessary the DOJ can investigate that LE department.

That’s possible. How do the Wagner’s become a laser focus though? Would VRT and J.R. possibility have helped in the name of drugs or unknowingly?

I can’t figure out if JK is a kingpin OR if he’s a desperate addict who turned squirrel to save his own tail. And once his tail was saved, he turned rogue squirrel unknowingly to the pack leader. I’m not suggesting widespread corruption or any type of conspiracy. I’m wondering if he’s dirtier and extremely calculated compared to all the other squirrels.

 

[Betty P]

This is O/T Betty but I just wanted to let people know some ways that the DOJ has to keep LE in line. This should serve as an example.

2018 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat - Autoblog

Now on to something on topic. Is it possible that Johnny Kerns was the big boss as far as drug trafficking went i.e. he was the one supplying all the dealers with product and CR1 decided to branch out into the OXY/heroin/fentanyl trade so JK decided to take him out as a lesson to anyone else who might want to encroach on his territory? The opioid trade is big business and worth huge amounts of money. If CR1 decided he wanted in on the action and JK was the kingpin who ran it all it's possible that with the help of JR and VRT that JK could have pulled off these 8 murders.

JMO

ETA: The point of that video was to show that the DOJ oversees the spending of taxpayer money by LE departments. So if they make an expenditure that seems excessive and unnecessary the DOJ can investigate that LE department.

It's been said that federal agents are involved in the Chillicothe investigation. They likely know of at least some of the "unusual behavior" of local LE. It's possible they're "tolerating" a certain amount of unethical behavior in support of the larger goal of nailing high level drug traffickers. Most of this activity seems to be centered around the recruitment and management of confidential informants. JMO, that situation isn't being handled well. But, yeah, these kinds of things have happened in the past during other mob activity when informants commit crimes with LE knowledge and protection. Mafia, Whitey Bulger, etc.

As for the theory about JK using JR and VRT to help kill the Rhodens, I seriously doubt they participated in the actual murders. From her social media and comments from friends, VRT doesn't seem like the murdering type, especially close relatives. Nor would opiate addicts be useful in the mass execution of 8 family members. As for providing inside information about the schedules of the family, layout of homes, etc., it's possible. But JK may have acquired that information on his own. I'm guessing he was acquainted with some of the deceased Rhodens and may have visited KR and/or CR1's trailers in the past.

If JK and others did commit the murders and JR or VRT knew that, it most definitely put their lives in danger. Further, it's possible some in LE know whether JK was one of the killers, considering he may be one of their informants. As Mittens points out, he seems to be involved in a few murders, but never seems to be held accountable - similar to Dollar Bill in Chilli. If that's the case, it's easy to understand why JR or VRT or anyone else who knew the Rhodens would fear talking to LE about what they know. If she knew, VRT obviously had no protection. She may have been killed by JK, who may also work for LE.

 

[Betty P]

That’s possible. How do the Wagner’s become a laser focus though? Would VRT and J.R. possibility have helped in the name of drugs or unknowingly?

I can’t figure out if JK is a kingpin OR if he’s a desperate addict who turned squirrel to save his own tail. And once his tail was saved, he turned rogue squirrel unknowingly to the pack leader. I’m not suggesting widespread corruption or any type of conspiracy. I’m wondering if he’s dirtier and extremely calculated compared to all the other squirrels.

JMO, I don't see JK as a kingpin, but likely one of the local "managers" of the drug trade. He's probably not the only one in Pike County, when you look at others who seem to have gotten away with murder down there. Kingpins probably don't even live in Pike County, some probably not even in Ohio.

OT, do you think the custody game being played by LE and courts in Ross and Scioto county is also being played in Pike County? Could this be part of the reasons the W's came into conflict with the Rhodens?

 

[MittenScarpetta]

JMO, I don't see JK as a kingpin, but likely one of the local "managers" of the drug trade. He's probably not the only one in Pike County, when you look at others who seem to have gotten away with murder down there. Kingpins probably don't even live in Pike County, some probably not even in Ohio.

I agree. And I also believe that he is a confidential informant aka squirrel. That’s JMO and the only thing I base that on is the types of crimes he seems to get a slap on the wrist for.

I mean...for example there’s people in this country serving YEARS for weed. Meanwhile, JK in Pike County kidnaps, has bodies in barrels, and is with a woman who’s shot dead in the chest dead but nothing happens...that’s not someone I want as my neighbor.

Oddly however, from searching around I believe he just took a plea and is serving 3 years for drug charges. His last known whereabouts was Butler County jail. I’ve yet to check this week and see if he’s been transferred anywhere.

Kind of odd he was offered a plea and got 3 years for drugs BUT his charges in Hayslip’s death went to the GJ where they still sit with no answers.

 

[Betty P]

It doesn't appear that the front door had been used regularly. A lot of junk to move to get to it...

JMO, LE would have needed a separate search warrant as it was probably a legally owned/registered/taxed piece of real estate, as opposed to just one of CR1's outbuildings or sheds. Wasn't the house still jointly owned by some of the Rhoden brothers? Agree, it probably just had personal possessions inside. Isn't that where TR said they still kept the old family Bible?

 

[Betty P]

I agree. And I also believe that he is a confidential informant aka squirrel. That’s JMO and the only thing I base that on is the types of crimes he seems to get a slap on the wrist for.

I mean...for example there’s people in this country serving YEARS for weed. Meanwhile, JK in Pike County kidnaps, has bodies in barrels, and is with a woman who’s shot dead in the chest dead but nothing happens...that’s not someone I want as my neighbor.

Oddly however, from searching around I believe he just took a plea and is serving 3 years for drug charges. His last known whereabouts was Butler County jail. I’ve yet to check this week and see if he’s been transferred anywhere.

Kind of odd he was offered a plea and got 3 years for drugs BUT his charges in Hayslip’s death went to the GJ where they still sit with no answers.

Very similar to the way Dollar Bill has been handled. Suspect in a few murders, but only gets plea offers on drug charges, murder investigation vanishes into Ye Olde Grand Jury.

Would it be possible for LE to tell someone/informants they will protect them with plea deals if they get into trouble? Is it possible that, generically, theoretically speaking, an LE or prosecutor could tell a squirrel that if they're involved in a murder where children are killed (an automatic death penalty charge in OH) that they can't help them out with a plea bargain on another charge? Just wondering. I may be wrong, IANAL, but am just ruminating about various charges and how they can be negotiated.