OH - Pike County: 8 people from one family dead as police hunt for killer(s) #2

[carbuff]

I'm still stunned with 18 pieces of evidences and four scenes with several different agencies there.

Did the killers clean up it good enough to not leave any evidence? What about other evidence that is personal belongings that would normally be taken?

It was 18 pieces of evidence that went to the state lab, so maybe they could have lots of stuff that could be processed locally and didn't have to be sent to the state.

 

[winterrose]

http://abc22now.com/news/local/bigt...sted-largest-heroin-bust-on-record-12-21-2015

On Monday, November 16, 2015, members of the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force arrested Josie Francisco Morales-Medina. Police say the arrest and raid of three homes resulted in the confiscation of $450,000, heroin with a street value of $1 million and several guns.

"Obviously, the heroin is destined for Ohio and for Ohioans. Often times, the first drop off point is here in Ohio to go to other states," said Schumaker.

 

[JanetElaine]

I believe this is Dana's house- not Kenneth's. She had just bought the house as I saw where she had painted it. I could not find it in the public records under her name however.

One of the addresses involved in this was up to recently owned by a different family who were family friends of the Rhodens. Public records actually still show them as the owners but it could be that they haven't been updated yet. I posted some info on this in thread 1 if you want to trace it back.

(ETA brought a couple of those posts over from thread 1, look below for them).

 

[ClaireNC]

I'd say the deal was the family allowed some cartel associates to use their property to set up growing operations, and in return got some money or part of the profits. These families didn't have the funds or the know how to set up professional level grow operations. The is a definite cartel presence in the region. The cartels realized it was easier to grow it in rural regions to supply Cleveland, Columbus and other northern markets that it was to smuggle it over the border and drive it thousands of miles. At first some of the mexican nationals were busted with large scale operations, in the region and pike co. specifically. I think they realized it was better to use local residents as a front for operations in order not to attract undue LE attention.

I doubt this family realized the type of people they were dealing with in this operation or they overestimated their ability to deal with them. Weed growing is dangerous and has its perils, but it's a whole other level to be involved with groups associated with cartels. Some rednecks shooting off their mouths, making threats, or deciding they were going to keep product/money could easily get the whole family killed. The cartels and professional large scale illegal pot operations are the friendly weed growers of yore.

Great post! You explained it very well. It is a scary truth that is happening in many rural parts of the country. It's not just pot growing. Rural farmers and landowners are being paid by cartels to use their land for the manufacturing and/or storage of harder drugs as well. Mexican/South American cartels moving their operations to the US rather than smuggling across the borders.

 

[winterrose]

Cartels don't need to have people grow for them, they buy land and grow it themselves.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/ne...cartel-penetrates-rural-ohio-town-police-say/
June 2014
In Geauga County sheriff's deputies drove down a 100-yard driveway off a secluded cul-de-sac to serve a search warrant on what they thought might be a small drug operation. Instead, deputies ended up seizing 6 pounds of pure crystal methamphetamine, 2.2 pounds of black tar heroin, 100 pounds of marijuana, $128,000 in cash and 10 guns, which were loaded and kept in various parts of the house. The drugs had a value of about $1.5 million.

The suspects have been charged with felony possession of drugs with a possibility of more charges for Bangera, 43, and Sanchez, 36. Also charged were Raymond Utt, 36, and Omar Solano-Lopez, 21. Bangera is a British citizen and Solano-Lopez is a Mexican citizen in the U.S. illegally, Hildenbrand said.

 

[winterrose]

This has been going on, now I guess they feel they can have complete control and use the tactics they use in Mexico...

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto.../drug_cartel.ART_ART_08-18-08_B6_46B2B8J.html
Tuesday August 19, 2008 8:27 AM

Mexican gangs dominate Ohio drug trade -
MEXICO CITY -- Powerful and well-organized Mexican drug-trafficking groups have seized control of drug distribution throughout Ohio, flooded local markets with increasingly cheap heroin and are using Columbus and Dayton as distribution hubs for southwestern Ohio and parts of Indiana, local and federal U.S. drug-enforcement officials say.

The situation in Ohio reflects a larger national trend: U.S. officials say Mexican cartels operate in at least 195 U.S. cities and dominate the drug trade in every region of the country except for isolated pockets such as the Northeast and southern Florida.

 

[JanetElaine]

Figured I'd bring a couple of posts on this over from thread 1 since the topic is coming back up, so we can flesh out more of the info here. (Posts/quotes 1 and 3 are mine).

799 Left Fork Rd - dwelling - Owner Christopher Rhoden (his address is listed as 4077 Union Hill) - purchased 05-09-2008

4077 Union Hill - dwelling - Owner Christopher D. Rhoden - purchased 05-09-2009 (no typo, a year later to the day)

799 Left Fork Rd - 40 acres woodland - Owner Christopher Rhoden Et Al - Clarence Rhoden owned it from 2005-2011; Christopher Rhoden since 2011

According to the Pike County auditor's website Christopher Rhoden/Christopher D. Rhoden/Christopher Rhoden Et Al owned property connected to 799 Left Fork Rd, 1084 Left Fork Rd, 4077 Union Hill Rd. (I only searched Union Hill and Left Fork, but did see there are some properties CR owns in other locations).

No property on either road connected to any of the other victims, including Dana, according to the auditor's website. Website doesn't mention how often it is updated or how recent the info is. My experience with the auditor's site in my (Ohio) county is that it happens pretty quickly. FWIW.

Originally Posted by VicVixvi Here are some pictures and google earth screen captures that show the different locations and the distances between each.

1) 3122 Union Hill - Dana, Hanna
2) 4077 & 4199 Union Hill - Chris Sr & Gary found at 4077 (per 911 caller). My belief (but no proof) is that Frankie & Hannah Hazel Gilley lived at 4199
3) shows distance between 3122 property & 4077/4199 complex. Note State Route 32 to left side for reference.

4) Shows distance between all 3 crime scenes with 799 Left Fork to the far right and the Union Hill Road locations to the left.

Nice, thanks!

4199 Union Hill shows up on the auditor's website with a different owner so that could be the property that was recently purchased by Dana, maybe?

 

[Jasper52]

It was 18 pieces of evidence that went to the state lab, so maybe they could have lots of stuff that could be processed locally and didn't have to be sent to the state.

I really hope those 18 pieces don't include bullets retrieved from the victims. If so, they really don't have much to go on.

MOO

 

[K.L.Puyallup]

http://www.newswatchman.com/news/article_2b29ce0c-27a4-5f3b-9c28-ff921fe53003.html
I really can't help but think this was related. It honestly sounds like it could be referring to this exact case.

"“At this time, I don’t know if these individuals will be witnesses or suspects, or in this situation they could be both. I want to make sure the investigation is complete, regardless of if we do it at the local level or if it goes to a federal level. It is crucial that all our ‘i’s’ are dotted and ‘t’s’ are crossed so as not to miss any details in this case,” said Reader. “Right now, I do not want to disclose the address of any particular persons until we’ve identified everyone who is involved and have the chance to interview them and go forward. I expect this to lead to other search warrants both locally and in other jurisdictions."

The setting they describe, the family dynamic described, the facilities described... I can really see it all playing out at the Rhoden property.
The fact that it's suggested they may be used as witnesses rather than suspects, and there was no indication they'd yet been arrested, makes me believe they were working with Law Enforcement to take down someone they were working with who was bigger than themselves.

 

[winterrose]

Bryant Somerville ‏@Bryant10TV Apr 23
Trucks haul two vehicles off Union Hill Road. Trooper says first car related to deaths, not sure of second. @10TV

View attachment 92543

What do they mean related to death? Was one killed trying to get into a vehicle? They said not all of them were killed in their bed.

 

[ClaireNC]

Cartels don't need to have people grow for them, they buy land and grow it themselves.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/ne...cartel-penetrates-rural-ohio-town-police-say/
June 2014
In Geauga County sheriff's deputies drove down a 100-yard driveway off a secluded cul-de-sac to serve a search warrant on what they thought might be a small drug operation. Instead, deputies ended up seizing 6 pounds of pure crystal methamphetamine, 2.2 pounds of black tar heroin, 100 pounds of marijuana, $128,000 in cash and 10 guns, which were loaded and kept in various parts of the house. The drugs had a value of about $1.5 million.

The suspects have been charged with felony possession of drugs with a possibility of more charges for Bangera, 43, and Sanchez, 36. Also charged were Raymond Utt, 36, and Omar Solano-Lopez, 21. Bangera is a British citizen and Solano-Lopez is a Mexican citizen in the U.S. illegally, Hildenbrand said.

They buy some land, but a lot of their operations are being conducted on land they lease or rent from local farmers and land owners. It gives them a layer of protection from law enforcement and makes it easier to hide their operations. Not just in Ohio, but other parts of the country, too.

 

[Toralei]

Great post! You explained it very well. It is a scary truth that is happening in many rural parts of the country. It's not just pot growing. Rural farmers and landowners are being paid by cartels to use their land for the manufacturing and/or storage of harder drugs as well. Mexican/South American cartels moving their operations to the US rather than smuggling across the borders.

I would imagine they can't say no either. Once the cartels decide they want the land, they will get use of it or make sure someone suffers. They don't play. I'm glad the babies were left alive. I hope they catch or at least manage to discover who did this. Those poor kids.

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

 

[Jasper52]

What do they mean related to death? Was one killed trying to get into a vehicle? They said not all of them were killed in their bed.

It says "related to deaths".

 

[K.L.Puyallup]

The killer or killers were specifically going after the Rhoden family, Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader emphasized, though he didn't say why.
"I cautioned them they are a target and I cautioned them, 'Be armed,' " he said.

Is he referring to the murdered Rhodens???
Did he caution them previously to be armed, as they were targets?

 

[KKearns]

Is he referring to the murdered Rhodens???
Did he caution them previously to be armed, as they were targets?

He is talking about other Rhodens there and close. There are tons of them.

 

[K.L.Puyallup]

He is talking about other Rhodens there and close. There are tons of them.

That's what I thought, too. CNN must have just framed the quote strangely.

 

[winterrose]

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories...-murders-of-8-family-members-in-pike-co..html

Family speaks to 10TV for first time since Friday's mass shooting

 

[jenves]

Given the article I posted about the cannabis cartels in southern Waverly (just north of Piketon), I'm inclined to believe this is a cartel issue.
Particularly interesting: "There were no arrests, but officers are looking for the people who abandoned the camps."

(source: )
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/police-ohio-pot-find-may-have-cartel-connections-1.327683

Yes, I agree and I doubt justice will be found. I sure hope I'm wrong, but I doubt any evidence will lead to an arrest. Very sad. Feel bad for the family and for the Sheriff.

 

[creepcrusher]

Indeed it is. I think I may have seen that truck somewhere on FB.

Is it an S-10?

Yes. I saw it on FB too along with a comment about it.

 

[creepcrusher]

Is he referring to the murdered Rhodens???
Did he caution them previously to be armed, as they were targets?

He was talking about the remaining Rhodens that are still living.