Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Pike County Sheriff Charles S. Reader, and Pike County Prosecutor Robert Junk announced the arrests of four people today for the murders of eight people in Pike County on April 22, 2016. The following four members of the Wagner family, of South Webster, were taken into custody this afternoon and are charged with planning and carrying out the murders:
George “Billy” Wagner III, 47
Angela Wagner, 48
George Wagner IV, 27
Edward “Jake” Wagner, 26
The suspects were all taken into custody without incident in Ohio and nearby states. DeWine stated that Billy Wagner III was arrested in Lexington, Kentucky.
A release from the attorney general stated the suspects were indicted this week by a Pike County grand jury, which has been examining evidence since July. The indictments were filed less than a week after authorities confirmed the existence of a homemade firearm suppressor allegedly built by the suspects.
“We believe the suspects created an elaborate plan to kill the eight victims under the cover of darkness,” DeWine said. “They knew the layout of the victims’ homes; they knew where the victims slept.”
Killed in 2016 were: Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, his ex-wife Dana Manley Rhoden, 37, and their three children, Hanna May Rhoden, 19, Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 20. Frankie Rhoden’s fiancée, Hannah “Hazel” Gilley, 20, was also killed, along with the elder Christopher Rhoden’s brother Kenneth Rhoden, 44, and cousin Gary Rhoden, 38.
STORY UPDATE:
Two other people were also arrested today in connection with the alleged cover-up of the Pike County homicides. Anglea Wagner’s mother, Rita Newcomb, and Billy Wagner’s mother, Fredericka Wager.
