DeWine: Killers familiar with Rhoden properties

• 'Very, very active' investigation
• Does insular community know more than its saying?
• Expert: Cops need to protect information

WAVERLY — The killers who systematically shot to death eight members of a southern Ohio family in April were familiar with their homes and the area, Attorney General Mike DeWine said.

Many family and community members have speculated the killers had to have intimate knowledge of the rural areas in Pike and Scioto counties where the Rhoden family members lived, including details about their homes and their routines.

But DeWine’s statement was the first time officials have publicly acknowledged this as a likelihood. It comes two weeks after Pike County Sheriff Charlie Reader said investigators are looking for more than one killer.

In an exclusive interview with The Enquirer last week, DeWine also said federal agencies, including Homeland Security, are working with the army of state and county investigators in an effort to solve the complex case, which this week will enter its fifth month without resolution. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI have also been called in to help with the case, he said.

DeWine declined to discuss if the expertise of Homeland Security might lend credence to early speculation that a Mexican drug cartel could be involved.

"The FBI has had some involvement, the DEA has had some involvement and that involvement is ongoing,'' he said during an hour-long interview at the Pike County Sheriff's Office. "Both agencies have assets and sometimes they have information that we do not have. And so it’s important for us to work closely with them and we will continue to do so. I know the FBI has been helpful, and contacts continue between our investigators and Homeland Security."

James Alan Fox, a criminology professor at Northeastern University in Boston and author of 18 books including "Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder," said that Homeland Security might have some expertise that local investigators don't. But he did not want to speculate.

Killed in the April 22 homicides were: Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his former wife, Dana Manley Rhoden, 37; their three children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20, Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44, and cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38; and Frankie Rhoden's fiancee, Hannah Gilley, 20.

Three children, a 5-day-old girl, a 6-month-old boy and his 3-year-old half brother, were found alive and physically unharmed in two different locations.

Does rural insular community know more than it's saying?

DeWine did not offer further details on the probe that has baffled family members and perplexed this tight-knit community where families have roots dating back generations. It is a proud Appalachian culture that largely relies on its own, not often asking or seeking outside help. That leads many people here to be deeply suspicious of outsiders — including law enforcement.

DeWine hinted that culture might be slowing investigators' efforts.

“I believe that there's information out there that somebody has in Pike County or people have in Pike County that might be helpful that we do not have yet,’’ DeWine said. “That’s not a criticism, it's just my guess."

Nonetheless, he called the effort a "very active; a very, very active investigation,” one he reiterated will be solved.

The lack of information law enforcement has shared with the both the community and family members is not easing the inherent distrust.

Tony Rhoden, brother to Christopher Rhoden Sr. and Kenneth Rhoden, said it has felt like a one-way street of information. Family members have met monthly with investigators and victim advocates, but little to no information is shared with them. And many of his brothers and sisters, and his mother  Geneva Rhoden, are growing weary, he said.

Criminologist Fox said the cops aren't trying to be difficult: "Families are often frustrated. That's not just true in the mountains of Appalachia. That's just how cops do their job. They just need to protect the information that only the killers would know."

DeWine said he appreciates the family's frustration. Withholding information is necessary to catch the killers and, ultimately, to take the case to trial, he said.

"Everything we say or don't say is dependent on our calculation on whether saying something will increase or decrease our opportunities to get a conviction in this case,'' the attorney general said. "Our goal is justice.''

Investigators have received more than 700 tips, analyzed more than 100 pieces of evidence and conducted more than 150 interviews since April 22.

DeWine has declined to say if three commercial marijuana grow operations found on two of the Rhoden properties in April are central to the investigation. Some family members have acknowledged that Kenneth Rhoden, who lived in a camper on Left Folk Road, and Christopher Rhoden Sr., who lived in a trailer on Union Hill Road, both grew pot. The family members said they were unaware of any high-volume growth.

Fox, the criminology professor, said the longer the case takes, the colder its trail. But that doesn't mean it won't be solved.

"This was not a spontaneous crime," Fox said. "Further, the perpetrators planned to get away with it. So police need some degree of luck here. Cases like this are often solved with a lucky break."

Chris Graves is the local columnist for the Enquirer. She has been in Pike and Adams counties covering the Rhoden family slaying since April. You can email her at cgraves@enquirer.com or on Twitter @chrisgraves. 

Reward offered

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers at 740-773-TIPS. Anonymous tips are still being taken at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446) or the Pike County Sheriff's Office at 740-947-2111. 

A $10,000 Crime Stoppers reward would be paid for any information that leads to apprehension of suspects and a conviction.