The Pike County Massacre: Eight Deaths, One Family's Dark Secret

On the night of April 21–22, 2016, gunmen executed eight members of the Rhoden family across four homes in Sunfish Township, Pike County, Ohio—a rural area 50 miles from Columbus. The victims, ranging from a 16-year-old boy to adults, were shot in their beds, most in the head. Some received multiple gunshot wounds; the total tally across all victims: 32 gunshot wounds. Three young children, including two infants, were present in the homes but physically unharmed.

The eighth victim was found in a camper in nearby Piketon. All bodies were discovered on April 22, 2016, in what would become Ohio's largest criminal investigation, eventually involving more than two dozen agencies across 10 states and Canada.

**The Investigation**