Columbus, OH -- 935 days.
That’s how long relatives of eight people shot dead in a Southwest Ohio community waited for police to bring the killers to justice. That’s how long authorities worked the case. That’s how long the people of Pike County lived under a cloud.
The cloud lifted Tuesday when Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine – flanked by local law enforcement officers – announced that four members of a family long suspected of being responsible for the crime have been arrested and charged with aggravated murder.
- Rhoden Family Members Shot Dead in April 2016
- George "Billy" Wagner & Family Arrested
- Pike County Officials & Ohio Attorney General Held Joint News Conference
George "Billy" Wagner III, 47; his wife, 48-year-old Angela Wagner; George Wagner, 27; and Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26, all face the death penalty if convicted of the crimes. Two of their relatives – Rita Newcomb and Fredericka Wagner, mothers of Angela Wagner and George "Billy" Wagner – face charges accusing them of helping the Wagners cover up the crimes.
“We promised that the day would come when arrests would be made in the Pike County massacres,” DeWine said to open the 4 p.m. press conference. “Today is that day.”
DeWine said the investigation was exhaustive. Investigators conducted hundreds of interviews, sifted through more than 800 tips, processed over 100 pieces of evidence, conducted three dozen searches and coordinated with about two dozen law enforcement agencies.
He declined to elaborate on the motive for the killing but said the case involved a custody dispute. Edward “Jake” Wagner and 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden, one of the eight victims, had shared custody of their daughter.
The other victims were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their children, 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Jr.;, Frankie Rhoden's fiancée, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.
All of the victims were shot and some appeared to have been beaten, according to autopsy reports. Their bodies were found at four different crime scenes.
Three young children were present when the slaying occurred. Hanna Rhoden's days-old baby girl, another baby and a young child were unharmed.
“The images of the houses, the bodies, the scenes – I can never erase them,” an emotional Sheriff Charles Reader told the assembled news media. “Even 20 years of law enforcement experience cannot prepare you fully for a day like that day. Every single day since that day I have worked, we have worked, as a team to figure out who did this in Pike County, where I have spent my entire life.”
The slayings brought a crush of media attention to Piketon, a village of 2,100 people, about an hour and 15 minutes south of Columbus and almost two hours east of Cincinnati. After the funerals, the news crews left but the mystery remained. The story periodically resurfaced when properties were searched or pleas for help were made. A court battle over releasing the autopsy report also made headlines.
But mostly the people of Piketon were left to wonder what kind of criminal would kill eight people in a small town on the Scioto River.
On Tuesday, authorities gave them an answer.
“Pike County is a resilient community, very small,” Reader said I know it’s been tough to be known as the place where eight people were murdered. But we are much, much more than that. We are a place that doesn’t let cowardly murderers get away with their crimes under the cover of darkness. We are the place that finds justice for victims, and today is a big step on that path.”