Ohio coroner: Most victims shot many times; some suffered bruising

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

A coroner’s report released Tuesday showed new details of vicious violence in the shooting deaths of eight members of a rural southern Ohio family, finding most victims were shot three to nine times each, and some of them were bruised. Meanwhile, the hunt for whoever is responsible continued to expand, with more than 200 law-enforcement officials involved.

A 911 caller Friday said the bodies of two people found in one home looked to be beaten up. Attorney General Mike DeWine has called the slayings a carefully planned and “sophisticated operation” carried out against eight members of the Rhoden family by one or more killers.

The Hamilton County coroner said the victims – three women, four men and a 16-year-old boy – had wounds to their heads, torso and other parts of the body. Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said one victim had a single wound, one had two wounds, and the rest had three or more. The report didn’t specify which victim had which number of wounds.

Some victims showed “signs of soft tissue bruising,” her report stated. Sammarco’s office declined to discuss its findings, citing the ongoing investigation. Funeral arrangements for the victims hadn’t yet been announced.

Authorities haven’t suggested a motive or suspects. DeWine has said there were marijuana-growing operations found at three of the four places where bodies were found in Pike County, a rural Appalachian Mountain region roughly 80 miles east of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.