Ohio AG releases redacted Rhoden autopsy reports
The redacted reports, that shed little new light on the case, come five months after the crime and after lawsuits by two media companies
Note: View the redacted autopsy reports at the bottom of this story.
The Ohio Attorney General's office and Pike County Sheriff's Office on Friday jointly released heavily redacted autopsy reports of eight people shot to death in Pike County in April.
The majority of each report is redacted, including how many times each victim of the Rhoden family massacre was shot or other injuries each may have sustained. Also redacted are the entire toxicology reports, which would show ingestion of alcohol, drugs or other poisons, on each victim.
Killed in what authorities have called a methodically-planned, targeted attack on the Rhoden family on April 22 were: Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his ex-wife Dana Rhoden, 37; their children Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20, Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38. Hannah Gilley, 20, the fiancee of Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, was also killed.
"The redacted documents, which were voluntarily released by investigators, were prepared to balance the current needs of the active investigation with transparency of the law enforcement process," the press release from the attorney general's office said.
The Enquirer and the Columbus Dispatch both sued to gain access to autopsy reports. The Enquirer ended its court-ordered mediation with the Attorney General's Office on Thursday and is moving to have the case put back on the Ohio Supreme Court docket.
The media company believes the records are public under Ohio law. The state has argued releasing the reports would hinder their investigation, now headed into the sixth month with no known motive nor arrests.
“We believe the law is clear and the full and un-redacted reports must be released," said Enquirer Editor Peter Bhatia. "As a result, we will continue our suit at the Supreme Court.”
DeWine: Releasing autopsy reports threatens Pike County case
Gunshots and fractures
Pathologists with Hamilton County Coroner's Office performed all the autopsies.
Days after the slayings, that office said all but one of the victims were shot multiple times. Neither the Hamilton County Coroner's Office nor the redacted reports list by name how many times each victim was shot, except for Kenneth Rhoden who was shot once in the head.
The Hamilton County Coroner previously said the victims were shot between two and nine times.
The autopsy report for Christopher Rhoden, Sr., said he was shot in the head, torso and extremities. The report does not specify if he was shot in the arms or the legs or both. It does indicate there were fractures to his skull and vertebra, but what that means is not entirely clear. Gary Rhoden's autopsy report also indicates his skull was fractured.
Dana Rhoden, according to the report, was shot in the head and in the neck.
Each report indicates numbers of each gunshot wound to the head, but the pathologist said those don't indicate the order in which they were inflicted.
Dana Rhoden was found dead in the trailer she shared with her children, Hanna, and Chris, Jr., at 3122 Union Hill Road. Christopher Rhoden, Sr. was found dead in a back bedroom of his trailer at 4077 Union Hill Road along with his cousin Gary Rhoden. Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden and Hannah Gilley, were both found shot to death in bed in a trailer at 4091 Union Hill Road.
Several hours later about three miles away, Kenneth Rhoden was found dead inside his camper at 799 Left Fork Road.
Graves: Another courtroom battle brewing in Rhoden case?
Some surprised by release
Authorities have continued to meet with family members since the killings and have conferred with them about the release of the autopsies. In a recent meeting, family members signed statements indicating they did not want the autopsy reports released.
However, few knew the redacted reports were being released today, said Kendra Rhoden, who is Kenneth's Rhoden's daughter. She said victim advocates and even some members of the Attorney General's staff were caught off-guard by the release as well.
Investigators have said little about the four crime scenes - three trailers and a camper where the victims lived - which are now being held in a warehouse in Waverly. They did say they found evidence of three commercial grow operations at two of the scenes as well as evidence of cock-fighting. Sheriff Charles Reader said last month that authorities are looking for more than one killer.
Family members have said they did not know about large-scale marijuana grow operations.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, as recently as last month in an exclusive interview with the Enquirer, said that he remains convinced the largest case in Ohio history will be solved, but that it will be time-consuming. He also said the killers were familiar with the family and that state Bureau of Criminal of Investigation officers have worked with the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the probe.
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 in the case.
Chris Graves is the Enquirer's local columnist. She has been covering the Rhoden family massacre since April.