Free Republic

Sympathy and money for the Rhodens dried up as soon as it was revealed they were selling marijuana. Even worse, most have ignored victim Hannah Gilley and her own family. PIKETON, Ohio — A family murdered for no apparent reason evokes a lot of sympathy from a community. Unless that family was dealing drugs. Drugs are so prevalent in this rural swath of the country that highway signs provide drivers with a number to report impaired—not drunk—drivers. So less than a week after this community rallied to support the families of the eight people shot to death in their beds...

<p>COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A coroner says seven of the eight victims in killings targeting a southern Ohio family were shot multiple times, and one had nine gunshot wounds.</p> <p>The Hamilton County coroner said Tuesday that autopsies showed some victims also had bruising. One victim was shot only once, but it's not clear who that was.</p>

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — The mass murder that left eight members of the same family dead, unveiled marijuana grow operations at three crime scenes, according to the Ohio Attorney General. Those were Mike DeWine's final words at a press conference for an update on the investigation of the "execution-style" deaths within the Rhoden family in Pike County, about 70 miles south of Columbus, on Friday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The slayings of eight family members in rural southern Ohio "was a pre-planned execution" and the investigation will be lengthy, the state's attorney general told reporters Sunday... Authorities said it was clear that the Rhoden family was targeted, and Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said he's told relatives to be armed. Reader said he did not believe there was a safety issue for other residents. But "If you are fearful, arm yourself," he said. Authorities have been scrambling to determine who targeted the clan and why. Investigators have interviewed between 50 and 60 people in hopes...

PIKETON, Ohio (AP) — An out-of-breath caller who found two of the eight slain members of an Ohio family told a 911 dispatcher in a quavering voice that "there's blood all over the house." "I think my brother-in-law's dead," she said, her voice rising as she adds later that it looks like someone has "beat the crap out of them." "I think they're both dead," she said before breaking down into sobs, according to one of two 911 call recordings released Saturday by the state attorney general's office. The calls were released a day after eight family members were found...