Pike murders still a focus of Ohio AG Mike DeWine

0

At the outset of the investigation into the execution style deaths of eight members of the Rhoden family in Pike County, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine told reporters the process would be long and require a long period of analysis and interviews.

“We have eight victims – eight human beings whose lives have been snuffed out,” DeWine said at a news conference on May 2. “As I have said before, I anticipate a lengthy investigation. The nature of a case where a body was found, many times means that it is going to take a while. We have eight bodies. You have eight times the many different scenarios and possibilities. So I look for a lengthy investigation.”

His prediction has turned out to be accurate as the wheels continue to turn slowly in that investigation. On Thursday, the Daily Times spoke exclusively with Jill del Greco of the attorney general’s office about where the investigation stands.

“There is nothing really that we can discuss,” del Greco said. “There hasn’t been anything new.”

According to del Greco, there have been over 700 tips come into law enforcement since the homicides occurred and that has required follow-ups on each tip.

How many people from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) are still involved in the case on a daily basis?

“It varies every day as to how many people are there on the scene because we do have some people working the case back from our headquarters in London (Ohio),” del Greco said. “But basically working the case every day, there’s around 24-25 people from our office.”

The first seven bodies were discovered on the morning of April 22 in three houses on Union Hill Road in Pike County. The Daily Times was informed of the discovery because the original 911 call came to Scioto County, specifically to the Portsmouth Police Department. That call was transferred to the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, and once it was determined that the crime scene was in Pike County, it was transferred again.

The status remained the same for several hours, then DeWine’s office informed the Daily Times that an eighth body was located on Left Fork Road in the same vicinity of Ohio 772.

Since that night the investigation has been handled in a joint effort by BCI and the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. An attempt to reach Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader on Thursday was unsuccessful.

The Daily Times will have an update online Monday afternoon and in Tuesday’s edition of the Times.

.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}

Law enforcement officers at the scene of the murders of 8 people in Pike County in April
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/06/web1_PiketonScene.jpgLaw enforcement officers at the scene of the murders of 8 people in Pike County in April
Manpower from BCI still dedicated to the investigation

By Frank Lewis

[email protected]

Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.

No posts to display