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Hundreds honor Pike County massacre victims at vigil

Hundreds in the tight-knit Pike County community came together tonight to show their support for the eight massacre victims and the Rhoden and Gilley families.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office is still not saying much about its investigation into the April 22 “execution-style” shootings. With the killer or killers still on the loose, many people are living in fear.

Law enforcement surrounded the fundraiser and vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds. Also at the vigil were surviving family members, who said they will never heal while the case remains unsolved.

“It means a lot to me to have family, but when someone takes eight of them away from you at one time, it hurts,” said Leonard Manley, who lost his daughter and three grandchildren. Authorities are protecting members of the Rhoden and Gilley families, and the three children who survived the massacre are with child protective services, Manley said.

Those killed are: Dana Rhoden, 37; her ex-husband, Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; their sons Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; their daughter, Hanna Rhoden, 19; Frankie’s fiancée Hannah Gilley, 20; and Kenneth Rhoden 44, and Gary Rhoden, 38.

In addition to Pike County Sheriff’s deputies, Piketon police and law enforcement from surrounding counties, including K-9 officers, patroled the outskirts of the fairgrounds. The fear in the community is palpable.

“For one, to know that they’re still out there, and two, I mean it’s just a small town. It’s not supposed to happen here, you know? Stuff in the movies, it doesn’t seem real,” said one of the vigil organizers, Dennis Tschute. “Some people are kind of worried, you know it’s still kind of scary that no one’s been caught yet.”

Under the watchful eyes of police, community members came together. Many wrote messages of love and prayer on balloons, which they let let go amid tears and hugs, and they prayed by candlelight.

“If you’ve got a friend, and he comes up and hugs you, that’s the greatest thing in the world,” Tschute said.

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