Mystery surrounding eight murders in Pike County continues

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• published: 13 Sep 2016
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PIKE COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - It was a case like no other the state had ever seen. Eight members of a single family were executed in their homes in a matter of hours. Local 12's Rich Jaffe broke the story as it was unfolding April 22. Local 12 News sat down with Attorney General Mike DeWine for an exclusive interview about the case and found it was a brutal investigation that's leaving an indelible mark on every one it touches. With the Rhoden family name scrawled on an empty mailbox and small flags commemorating the family members murdered at each of the sites, the hills of rural Pike County still buzzed with speculation and fear. “I think it's very very important to know why and who, that's the big thing. And to know where they come from,” said DeWine. The day the murders were discovered, April 22, Pastor Phil Fulton's tiny church became the family sanctuary. It remained a place of comfort for many of them. Pastor Fulton said, “Bobbi Jo, the daughter who found them, she's still going through a lot. I think it's calmed down somewhat for her too. I think she's dealing with it best anybody could.” What Bobbi Jo Manley found was a crime beyond imagination. First one, then two family members executed in their beds. Tiny children still alive next to parents, a call to authorities lead to more victims and more murder scenes. There were a total of four locations and eventually eight victims, all family. All but one shot execution style in the head ages 16 to 44-years-old. While the Pike County sheriff and his deputies began the investigation, it quickly became a case for the much larger more sophisticated attorney general's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, BCI. DeWine said, “My experience has been when you find a body and have no witnesses it can take a long time. In this case we had eight bodies, four separate locations. So I'm not really shocked it has taken a while.” The killers got in and out of each location efficiently, silently, making it past security cameras and even dogs. It was clear to all, this was the work of professionals. In the days that followed, the investigation uncovered evidence of cockfighting and drugs on some of the murder scenes. While DeWine and his investigators still have a long way to go they remain confident they will solve the complex case. ---- As the investigation into the execution style murders of eight Pike County family members continues, both the community and the investigators were left looking for answers. The head of that investigation was confident he will bring the killers to justice. The crime was unique in Ohio history, eight family members, mostly shot in the head execution style, many murdered in their beds. Children below the age of 16 were spared by the killers. Many of the surviving members of the Rhoden family have found comfort before and after the murders at the tiny Union Hill Church where Phil Fulton was the pastor. Investigators found a commercial marijuana operation at two of the murder scenes. Much speculation has centered around a possible hit by a Mexican drug cartel. But four months into the investigation the attorney general, whose bureau of criminal investigation was running the case, was not ready to say drugs were the motive. “My goal remains the same and that is the goal we set the first day and that is to find who did this, bring them to justice, and to convict them and see them go behind bars,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. With dozens of investigators from BCI involved along with every possible Pike County deputy as well as some from surrounding counties, the massive crime scene investigation was nothing short of daunting. One of the most extraordinary things about the investigation was that as it progressed, the investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation were able to take four different crime scenes and actually move them to a single location that was better for them. It was the brain child of Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader. Crews jacked up all four mobile homes where the victims were killed and moved them to a secure industrial site a few miles away in the town of Waverly. An event that in legal circles was virtually unheard of. Not only did they preserve the crime scenes for investigation but also for a future jury. DeWine said the viciousness of the case has galvanized his team, “We're used to seeing tough stuff. Our investigators are used to seeing bad things. But this is about as bad as it gets. The number of people killed, from one family, execution style; it impacts people. It impacts you if you're working on the case.” While the killers may be long gone, investigators believe answers remain in the community and they will find them. Attorney General DeWine continues to ask that anyone with information on the murders, whether it's second or even third hand, call the attorney generals hotline number: 1-855-BCI-OHIO. That's one 855-224-6446.