OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) #7

[Pearline]

I have been 10 pages behind all day. Ugh. Sorry for being a late responder. You made me think of something. Does Kenneth have a real house somewhere? Was this just his hunting camper that he was staying in for a short spell? This type of camper isn't meant to be a residence. I wonder if he owns a home back in KY. And if so, why was he in Piketon and how long he had been there?

Just got home from being out all day... going to catch up now!

I've known of a few men from southern WV who lived in a travel camper year round. It was their home. Sounds odd, but "back home" as someone pointed out earlier, country folks enjoy the simple life. The ones I knew were on disability so they weren't worried about a job, etc., and spent a lot of time drinking. It's not unusual for someone to live in a camper like this. JMO

 

[KKearns]

I have been 10 pages behind all day. Ugh. Sorry for being a late responder. You made me think of something. Does Kenneth have a real house somewhere? Was this just his hunting camper that he was staying in for a short spell? This type of camper isn't meant to be a residence. I wonder if he owns a home back in KY. And if so, why was he in Piketon and how long he had been there?

Just got home from being out all day... going to catch up now!

It isn't abnormal for living in an area like that. His kids, etc are in the same area.

 

[tlcya]

Alright, my second shot at a map. It looks like there are some conflicting understandings in this thread as to where things took place, but I tried to go with the most widely agreed upon locations. If anyone would like me to change anything, let me know. I'd also be happy to add press photos and media to the location markers if that would be helpful.

Added to the Opening Post - thanks

 

[JaimeInLA]

Do we know who found Hanna and Chris Jr.? And do we know where they were found?

source:
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/new...enge-our-hearts-pike-co-family-says/83517330/

This suggests that J. Rhoden did not find Hanna and Chris, but he assumed them to be there. Was it LE who found them first?
I do not understand why JR did not check immediately on Hanna & Chris. They could have been alive but heavily wounded.

This is a really good point. Or still asleep in a house with a dead mother who he wouldn't want them to wake up and find. It is VERY weird that he didn't go in further to look for them. But then again, maybe he was just scared. It is really hard for me to get inside the heads of these people. (Having not ever had a major grow operation on my property)

 

[NWLady]

How normal is it to portray the image and/or appear to be poor but yet have marijuana grow ops? Even if it's considered a small scale operation, why have it if it's not making you any income to at least be able to afford more suitable housing?

Or maybe I just answered my own question...you want to make it 'appear' you have nothing but yet have large stashes of cash on hand possibly... All JMO

For these areas it isn't necessarily an appearance. Chris Sr finished like 9th grade. This community is Appalachian country.

I guess I'm confused and/or not understanding you properly. I understand lack of education could contribute to poverty. However, you have the knowledge to be involved in marijuana grow ops on your property/properties? And why have marijuana grow ops if you are not benefiting from it? IMO financial gain would be the main reason to be involved, possibly personal use if you were a user and/or other family members/friends were users.

Maybe it would be easier to understand if for example, hypothetically this was the situation....IF you had plenty of cash on hand and was not living at or below poverty level, would you still choose to live in the same type of housing situations because it is part of your culture per se??

I guess one of the things that makes it so difficult to understand is IMO housing is my #1 priority and I'd rather choose to live in a nice home and make my home my #1 priority versus nice buildings on my property etc (although we are fortunate to have both). And yes, I do understand things are different in one area versus another, but I am just trying to make sense of it all and try to understand better.

This is a horrible tragedy and IMO none of these victims deserved to die, irregardless of their income, culture, area they lived in etc. It does not make sense and is very, very sad.

 

[winterrose]

This is a really good point. Or still asleep in a house with a dead mother who he wouldn't want them to wake up and find. It is VERY weird that he didn't go in further to look for them. But then again, maybe he was just scared. It is really hard for me to get inside the heads of these people. (Having not ever had a major grow operation on my property)

I remember dispatch telling Bobby Jo to get out of the house, so I guess that's what JM did when he saw Dana was killed.

 

[KKearns]

This is a really good point. Or still asleep in a house with a dead mother who he wouldn't want them to wake up and find. It is VERY weird that he didn't go in further to look for them. But then again, maybe he was just scared. It is really hard for me to get inside the heads of these people. (Having not ever had a major grow operation on my property)

What?

What does the grow operation have to do with the thinking of the people? Bobby is the only one I think that might be an issue for.

 

[newtonskeyz]

Added to the Opening Post - thanks

on that aerial map showing all the locations.
there is that cut away the runs through the woods there, for I suppose big electric poles.
a person could have driven that and came thru the woods to all the locations, and never had to be on a legal road. used atv's, motor cycles or trucks.

 

[JaimeInLA]

I think the mobile homes gave the appearance of being poor, but looking at the big red garage, the big building at Chris', the nice campers at Kenneths, the nice vehicles, all the animals to feed, and all the property, no they weren't poor.

Serious question, and I mean no offense to anyone who lives in a trailer. Why would anyone who isn't poor CHOOSE to live in a trailer? 3 of these homes were trailers and one was a camper. Why wouldn't they buy actual homes? Don't people know that those things blow away in a tornado?! (Xenia isn't far from there and they had a horrible tornado tragedy years back.) Do you all think they lived in trailers so that the continued to LOOK poor? Was it a perception thing? Wearing a poverty mask, of sorts? If not, then I have to think that they really were poor (maybe with a newfound income sources suddenly producing quite a bit of cash). The whole thing just confuses me.

 

[Everyday Grace]

I have been 10 pages behind all day. Ugh. Sorry for being a late responder. You made me think of something. Does Kenneth have a real house somewhere? Was this just his hunting camper that he was staying in for a short spell? This type of camper isn't meant to be a residence. I wonder if he owns a home back in KY. And if so, why was he in Piketon and how long he had been there?

Just got home from being out all day... going to catch up now!

No indication that Kenneth may have lived in Kentucky.

Gary, yes.

 

[mrssmith23]

Serious question, and I mean no offense to anyone who lives in a trailer. Why would anyone who isn't poor CHOOSE to live in a trailer? 3 of these homes were trailers and one was a camper. Why wouldn't they buy actual homes? Don't people know that those things blow away in a tornado?! (Xenia isn't far from there and they had a horrible tornado tragedy years back.) Do you all think they lived in trailers so that the continued to LOOK poor? Was it a perception thing? Wearing a poverty mask, of sorts? If not, then I have to think that they really were poor (maybe with a newfound income sources suddenly producing quite a bit of cash). The whole thing just confuses me.

They don't want to flash money without a paper trail.

Plenty of country folk is perfectly content with country life. They don't go out spending their money on flashy things, they spend their money on things they enjoy and they are content with having what they have. Not all people long for a middle or upper class appearing lifestyle. JMO.

Everyone else in the area lives the same lifestyle for the most part. They fit in. It's not wearing a poverty mask, it is just that way where they live. It's how they were raised. Just like they probably think it's crazy people will spend $10 for a cup of coffee, because it's not normal out there. Their lifestyle for where they live is normal.

ETA: This income is not "new" - you don't just suddenly start a pot garden with 200 plants. You start much smaller and work your way up. They've been growing pot for awhile. JMO.

 

[K.L.Puyallup]

Just a heads up. Added photos of the victims and the residences to the map markers, for reference.
Is there anything at all I can add to the map at this point to make it more helpful?

 

[JaimeInLA]

Failure to display could also be no front plates. Ohio requires front and back. Some counties show that charge as failure to display, some show no front plate.

When I lived in Ohio, when I was 16-21, I had a super hot Trans Am that I refused to put front plates on because real car people don't do that sort of horrible thing. LOL. I got pulled over about a dozen times. Sometimes they just yelled at me and told me to put it on. Other times they have me a fix-it ticket. I stuck it on with duct tape, got an officer to sign the ticket, and then ripped it right back off. My dad built hot rods so he was totally on board with all of this. Anyway, my point is, I didn't every have any kind of traffic record to speak of. I don't understand why this is even on record for the Rhodens. Maybe Cuyahoga county is different, but I doubt it.

And why are drug crimes classified as traffic crimes online? So confusing!

 

[mrssmith23]

When I lived in Ohio, when I was 16-21, I had a super hot Trans Am that I refused to put front plates on because real car people don't do that sort of horrible thing. LOL. I got pulled over about a dozen times. Sometimes they just yelled at me and told me to put it on. Other times they have me a fix-it ticket. I stuck it on with duct tape, got an officer to sign the ticket, and then ripped it right back off. My dad built hot rods so he was totally on board with all of this. Anyway, my point is, I didn't every have any kind of traffic record to speak of. I don't understand why this is even on record for the Rhodens. Maybe Cuyahoga county is different, but I doubt it.

And why are drug crimes classified as traffic crimes online? So confusing!

You must have just been lucky. Plenty of people get these traffic tickets repeatedly, especially in a small town where they know you. My ex husband was not liked by police, you could guarantee he was getting pulled over for something any time he drove into town, whether he was doing something wrong or not.

 

[molly1255]

Serious question, and I mean no offense to anyone who lives in a trailer. Why would anyone who isn't poor CHOOSE to live in a trailer? 3 of these homes were trailers and one was a camper. Why wouldn't they buy actual homes? Don't people know that those things blow away in a tornado?! (Xenia isn't far from there and they had a horrible tornado tragedy years back.) Do you all think they lived in trailers so that the continued to LOOK poor? Was it a perception thing? Wearing a poverty mask, of sorts? If not, then I have to think that they really were poor (maybe with a newfound income sources suddenly producing quite a bit of cash). The whole thing just confuses me.

Probably several reasons for this. It is likely they have always live this way and this is what they know. Another reason might be because people in rural communities (at least in my state) do not show they have money. They live below their means because it is almost sinful to sign signs of having money. Another reason could be to not show any sign they had money that couldn't be accounted for with employment. It would be a big tip off if they were spending money on expensive houses, etc. and also might give the IRS a reason to start looking into their business.

 

[winterrose]

Serious question, and I mean no offense to anyone who lives in a trailer. Why would anyone who isn't poor CHOOSE to live in a trailer? 3 of these homes were trailers and one was a camper. Why wouldn't they buy actual homes? Don't people know that those things blow away in a tornado?! (Xenia isn't far from there and they had a horrible tornado tragedy years back.) Do you all think they lived in trailers so that the continued to LOOK poor? Was it a perception thing? Wearing a poverty mask, of sorts? If not, then I have to think that they really were poor (maybe with a newfound income sources suddenly producing quite a bit of cash). The whole thing just confuses me.

Mobile homes are cheaper, people buy the land and put them on there, it's cheaper than building or buying land with a home on them. You can buy a fixer upper, but it takes alot of money to fix up a home nowadays. It used to be cheaper, my grandparents would buy older homes fix them up beautifully, but materials, new wells and septic all became so expensive, they stopped doing it.

 

[KKearns]

I guess I'm confused and/or not understanding you properly. I understand lack of education could contribute to poverty. However, you have the knowledge to be involved in marijuana grow ops on your property/properties? And why have marijuana grow ops if you are not benefiting from it? IMO financial gain would be the main reason to be involved, possibly personal use if you were a user and/or other family members/friends were users.

Maybe it would be easier to understand if for example, hypothetically this was the situation....IF you had plenty of cash on hand and was not living at or below poverty level, would you still choose to live in the same type of housing situations because it is part of your culture per se??

I guess one of the things that makes it so difficult to understand is IMO housing is my #1 priority and I'd rather choose to live in a nice home and make my home my #1 priority versus nice buildings on my property etc (although we are fortunate to have both). And yes, I do understand things are different in one area versus another, but I am just trying to make sense of it all and try to understand better.

This is a horrible tragedy and IMO none of these victims deserved to die, irregardless of their income, culture, area they lived in etc. It does not make sense and is very, very sad.

Part of it is the rural living, the Appalachian culture, etc. A nice house isn't a priority. Also their money isn't just rolling in I don't think. This culture lives very simple and even if someone had 5 million on the bank they would likely live in a small simple home.

 

[tlcya]

I have been 10 pages behind all day. Ugh. Sorry for being a late responder. You made me think of something. Does Kenneth have a real house somewhere? Was this just his hunting camper that he was staying in for a short spell? This type of camper isn't meant to be a residence. I wonder if he owns a home back in KY. And if so, why was he in Piketon and how long he had been there?

Just got home from being out all day... going to catch up now!

Kenneth Rhoden - victim in this case resided in Piketon OH. Gary Rhoden was a visiting cousin from KY. Gary has a sibling who shares our Piketon victim's name. Adds to the general confusion.

 

[newtonskeyz]

Just a heads up. Added photos of the victims and the residences to the map markers, for reference.
Is there anything at all I can add to the map at this point to make it more helpful?

did you see my comment about that electric line cut out in the woods?

 

[KKearns]

Serious question, and I mean no offense to anyone who lives in a trailer. Why would anyone who isn't poor CHOOSE to live in a trailer? 3 of these homes were trailers and one was a camper. Why wouldn't they buy actual homes? Don't people know that those things blow away in a tornado?! (Xenia isn't far from there and they had a horrible tornado tragedy years back.) Do you all think they lived in trailers so that the continued to LOOK poor? Was it a perception thing? Wearing a poverty mask, of sorts? If not, then I have to think that they really were poor (maybe with a newfound income sources suddenly producing quite a bit of cash). The whole thing just confuses me.

I forgot.. Didn't you say you were from Southern OH and familiar with country folk and the Appalachian culture?