PIKETON – Authorities scrambling to determine who killed eight family members in southern Ohio have refused to discuss many details of the crime but say they found several marijuana-growing operations at the scenes.
They didn’t say if the deaths were linked to pot.
Seven people, ranging in age from 44 to 16, were found shot in the head Friday at four homes near Piketon in what Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine calls a “pre-planned execution,” which will make the investigation challenging.
See chart for relationships between victims.
“Obviously, anybody who was planning something will do everything in their power to make it difficult for those investigators to find the information,” he said.
Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader says it’s clear members of the Rhoden family was targeted and he’s told the victims’ relatives to arm themselves.
Click here to hear one of several 911 calls made to report the incidents.
DeWine says over 100 law enforcement personnel have been involved in the investigation so far, five search warrants have been executed and 18 pieces of evidence have been turned over to the crime laboratory at the state Bureau of Criminal Identification.