Frustration, suspicion grow in Rhoden case

There has been talk among some members of the Rhoden family of picketing the Pike County Sheriff's Office.

Talk too about calling national media. There is growing suspicion that politics may be getting in the way of investigating the killings of their family members.

To say members of the Rhoden, Manley and Gilley families are frustrated doesn't begin to capture their angst, especially as the days have spilled into weeks; the weeks have become months and now a half a year has passed since the murderous morning of April 22 when eight of their own were shot to death.

The investigation is the largest in the state's history, and authorities are giving no indication whether or not they have identified a motive or suspects. It also comes at a time when Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader is running for election and as Attorney General Mike DeWine gears up for a possible bid for Ohio governor in 2018.

Reader and DeWine have been the public face of the investigation. They have said little publicly – or to the families – about what evidence they do have or don't have. That is by design, they say, to ensure the investigation's sanctity.

Family members understand that. But still, they say, they often find out updates from the media. And that stings.

Pike County: Death in the foothills

The monthly meetings between family and authorities continue, but rarely do DeWine or Reader attend those meetings. And to the family members, that feels dismissive at best.

DeWine and Reader have acknowledged the family's frustration.

"I think those feelings are all very natural and I would think it would be strange if they didn't have those feelings,'' DeWine said during an August interview. "I mean these are people who have lost loved ones in the most horrible way. I understand that.

But, he added, family members with whom he's spoken appreciate the work investigators are doing. "Our goal is the same: to get convictions. Our goal is justice. We share that goal."

Killed were: Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his former wife, Dana Manley Rhoden, 37; and their children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20, Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16. Also slain were Christopher Rhoden's brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38; as well as Frankie Rhoden's finance, Hannah Gilley, 20.

Some of the distrust of authorities dates back to that first day, when dozens of family gathered at a local church and were told details of the crime via a livestream press conference played at the church. For others, it has been too many unreturned phone calls.

Late last month, several members of the Rhoden and Gilley families found the Attorney General's Office had released heavily redacted autopsy reports.

"No one, I mean no one, knew this was happening. Not Charlie Reader, not our crisis response team, not our contact with the AG staff,'' said Kendra Rhoden, the daughter of Kenneth Rhoden. "It wasn't just the family left in the dark; it was them, too," she said, speaking of local authorities.

"I don't want people thinking that those people left us in the dark intentionally," she said. "They did not."

Hannah Gilley's mother, Andrea Shoemaker, said last week she has repeatedly left messages for Reader that have gone unanswered.

Leonard Manley, the father of Dana Manley Rhoden, has not been as kind. He has distrusted investigators nearly from the beginning, saying they have unfairly targeted members of his family as suspects while not focusing on other potential motives. However, focusing on family and friends is common in such investigations, experts say.

Law enforcers remain convinced there are people who have information about the killings and are not coming forward. They are fairly confident not everyone is telling them everything they know.

"I think we know a lot more about illegal activity going on in Pike County than we knew before," DeWine said. "I think we know a lot more about a number of different people in Pike County than we knew before."

"It's a very insular community: 'We trust who we know.' I understand that,'' he said. "But I would encourage people in Pike County to come forward with information .. I do believe there is information out there that someone has in Pike County that might be helpful that we do not have.

"We are encouraging people to cooperate."

Chris Graves is The Enquirer's local columnist. She has covered the Pike County case since April. You can email her at cgraves@enquirer.com or follow her 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.