Rhoden family slayings: Cousin's death under investigation 2 years after Pike County massacre

Jona Ison | Chillicothe Gazette

Show Caption Hide Caption 2 years, no answers: Rhoden family killings remain a mystery Two years after a rural Ohio family was massacred in their homes, surviving family members still have no answers. Theories abound, but what happened that night and who the killers are still remain a mystery.

LATHAM, Ohio — A body found in the woods in Pike County this week has been identified as a relative of the Rhoden family slain more than two years ago.

Violet Rhoden Taylor, 35, was pronounced dead at 10:01 a.m. Monday after her body was found on Lapperell Road near Stewart Hollow Road, according to the Pike County Coroner's Office. Her body was sent to Montgomery County for an autopsy.

Officials are tight-lipped about Taylor's death, which remains under investigation, with the state's crime bureau at the helm.

Attorney General spokeswoman Jill Jill DelGreco declined comment on any evidence collected at the scene due to the ongoing investigation. A request made by the Chillicothe Gazette for the initial report from the Pike County Sheriff's Office is pending.

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Another spokesman, Dan Tierney, said the request is separate from the ongoing investigation into the murders of Taylor's family members and he could not comment on whether there is any connection between the two investigations.

Taylor was a cousin to the Rhodens and the sister of Josh Rhoden, who was arrested on drug charges in January 2017 but never indicted.

The Pike County slayings occurred in the early morning hours of April 22, 2016, in three trailer homes on Union Hill Road and at another scene on Left Fork Road.

Killed in what authorities have called a methodical, targeted attack on the family 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; a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38; and Hannah Gilley, 20, the fiancee of Frankie Rhoden.

Officials continue to say the investigation is "very active and ongoing," but decline to confirm or deny individual investigative activities.