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Rhoden family 'beyond devastation' after final goodbyes

Keith BieryGolick, Jeremy Fugleberg, Chris Graves, and Bob Strickley
Cincinnati
Scene of Rhoden family funeral at Scioto Burial Park Tuesday afternoon.

Update, 2:26 p.m.: The Rhoden family was given last goodbyes at Dry Run Church of Christ in West Portsmouth, then laid to rest at Scioto Burial Park in McDermott Tuesday afternoon.

The graveside service was short, with a couple hundred people crowded around the Rhoden and Manley families as prayers were read. The surviving members of the family were seated under three blue-topped tents in front of the five caskets. The Rhoden children were in the middle with their parents at either end.

Friends and family walked past the caskets one last time, many taking the roses, carnations and lilies that sat atop the coffins.

Mourning members of the family and supporting friends remained on the burial ground long after the service had concluded.

Eventually, only the surviving members of the family remained giving their final goodbyes to their slain loved ones.

With the conclusion of Tuesday's services, seven of the eight people slain in the unsolved April 22 mass shooting have been buried. Kenneth Rhoden, the older brother of Chris Rhoden Sr., will be buried at Mound Cemetery Wednesday at 11 a.m. No suspect information is publicly known in regards to the shooting and information on the progress of the investigation has been scant.

Services in West Portsmouth were described as somber and emotional. After the funeral procession departed for McDermott, David Dickerson with the Pike County Prosecutor's Office provided a statement on behalf of the family.

"The family would like to say that they sincerely thank everyone, and I mean everyone, for their continued thoughts and prayers," Dickerson said. "They would also like to thank the media during these last 11 days for honoring their privacy and for showing so much remorse for the family."

Dickerson said the service at Dry Run Church of Christ was, "the most emotional thing I've experienced in my life."

He said the family was "beyond devastation."

Update, 2 p.m.: The Rhoden family thanked the public for their thoughts and prayers through a spokesman Tuesday afternoon following the funeral for their six slain relatives in West Portsmouth.

David Dickerson with the Pike County Prosecutor's Office shared the family's sentiments after a lengthy funeral procession departed for Scioto Burial Park in McDermott.

"The family would like to say that they sincerely thank everyone, and I mean everyone, for their continued thoughts and prayers," Dickerson said, reading from a statement. "They would also like to thank the media during these last 11 days for honoring their privacy and for showing so much remorse for the family."

Dickerson was flanked by victim's advocates from the Ohio Crisis Response Team and described the funeral service as emotional and somber.

"It was probably the most emotional thing I've experienced in my life," Dickerson said. "And that's to be expected. They are beyond devastation. But hopefully soon some healing will begin."

Dickerson again encouraged anyone with information about April 22's mass shooting to call 855-BCI-OHIO.

"Again, in closing, we'd like to thank everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers," Dickerson said.

Skip to the 15:35 mark for the Rhoden family's statement:

Update, 12:45 p.m.: The Rhoden family funeral services concluded at Dry Run Church of Christ in West Portsmouth Tuesday afternoon.

Family and friends exited the church quietly and waited for the procession to organize before departing for the cemetery. The service was described as somber and the church was filled to its 480-person capacity.

Chris Graves on Twitter

Update, 12:15 p.m.: Funeral services for six slain members of the Rhoden family were slated to begin around noon Tuesday at Dry Run Church of Christ in West Portsmouth, but mourners continued to arrive later into the lunch hour.

Services were anticipated to be approximately an hour long with Minister Mark Seevers officiating. Burial at Scioto Burial Park in McDermott will follow the conclusion of services.

Follow updates here.

In Pike County, family means survival. Not slaughter.

Update, 11:10 a.m.: Dry Run Church of Christ minister Mark Seevers said Tuesday morning that he has been told to expect a "rather large crowd" at the Rhoden family's funeral services.

Seevers said seating capacity at the church is 480 and he does not know an exact expected attendance.

"The southern Ohio community is a close-knit community and even though it's 20 or 30 minutes away, it has rocked our entire community," Seevers said. "Everyone is grieving and mourning."

Black hearses lined up in front of the church along with some early arriving vehicles as of 11 a.m.

Update, 10:45 a.m.: Family and close friends of the Rhoden family began arriving at Dry Run Church of Christ in West Portsmouth around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Services are set to begin at noon with burial to follow at Scioto Burial Park in McDermott. Area sheriff's deputies are providing security for the family and mourners as they arrive at the church.

Early-arriving friends and family of the Rhodens are directed inside Dry Run Church of Christ Tuesday morning.

Previous reporting: They came to the funeral home a vehicle at a time. A steady stream of visitors, here to bid a final face-to-face farewell to the six members of the Rhoden family, killed overnight 10 days before.


This was the visitation for six Rhoden family members: Christopher Sr., Dana, Frankie, Hanna, Christopher Jr. and Kenneth. The cars and trucks clustered around the Roger W. Davis funeral home in West Portsmouth, about a 36-mile drive from where the Rhodens lived and died.

Knots of visitors spoke quietly outside, and some sat on truck beds in the parking lot. There were some quiet laughs. The still was broken only by the wailing of sirens from the volunteer fire department a block up the hill, and later the patter from an afternoon rain shower.

Eight people, all members of or with close ties to the Rhoden family, were found shot to death at four locations in rural Pike County on April 22.

Services for the six Rhodens will be at noon Tuesday at Dry Run Church of Christ in West Portsmouth.

The Monday trip to the funeral home was a pilgrimage of sorts, as last goodbyes always are, a time to remember, and reflect. A bevy of sheriff’s deputies guarded the approaches to the home, on a corner of a residential neighborhood. A battery of news vehicles extended down Third Street, kept away from the visitation to keep the peace.

"It doesn't seem real," said one woman as she walked to her car from the funeral home.

Her face was covered by large, dark sunglasses. She declined to speak to a reporter, as did many others.

Mourners stand outside of the Roger W. Davis Funeral Home, in West Portsmouth, for the visitation of six Rhoden family members on Monday afternoon.

The Rhodens were remembered with orange T-shirts and messages scribbled on car windows. There were angel wings on one SUV. "Fly high Rhodens" was written on another. The unspoken quiet gestures spoke volumes. Monday was a day of stillness, for unity in grief.

The victims:

Christopher Rhoden Sr., who was 40, and Dana Rhoden, who was 37, had reconciled following a 2007 divorce, relatives say. He did construction work at Big Bear Lake Campground in Lucasville. She’d worked since last October as a nursing aide at Hillside Nursing and Rehabilitation in Peebles.

Mourners stand outside of the Roger W. Davis Funeral Home, in West Portsmouth, for the visitation of six Rhoden family members on Monday afternoon.

Clarence Rhoden, named after his dad’s dad yet known by his nickname, “Frankie.” The 20-year-old who loved demolition derby driving leaves behind two boys, 3-year-old Brentley and 6-month-old Ruger. His fiancee, Hannah Gilley, was also targeted; she was laid to rest Saturday in Otway. Gilley was Ruger’s mother.

Hanna Rhoden, who’d just brought home a baby girl born earlier in the week. The 19-year-old worked at Edgewood Manor and leaves behind two daughters, newborn infant Kylie and 2-year-old Sophia Mae.

• Christopher Rhoden Jr., a Piketon High School freshman who’d already earned his driver’s license. Christopher, 16, shared with his dad the middle name of “Don” and in summers also did work at Big Bear Lake.

* Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, Kenneth Rhoden, and his cousin, Gary Rhoden, referred to in Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s obituary as his “best friend.” Gary Rhoden’s funeral was Thursday.

Investigation details still hard to come by

Authorities have refused to say much about the investigation, but this much is clear: A suspect or suspects are still at large.?

The Rhoden family continued its wait Monday to access the homes and property where their family members were shot and killed a week and a half ago. The Pike County sheriff has yet to release the crime scenes after the completion of evidence-gathering, and a spokeswoman for the Ohio attorney general could not offer a timeline for that process.

The wait also continued for details related to the investigation into the shootings. For instance, search warrants related to the case have been sealed from public view, a spokesman for the Ohio attorney general said, explaining the delay related to The Enquirer’s request for those documents.

When asked whether the Ohio State Highway Patrol was involved in portions of the investigation, a spokesman said he couldn’t answer yes or no, to protect the integrity of the investigation.

The Attorney General's Office sent a news release Monday afternoon with a limited update on the progress of the investigation into the April 22 mass killings.

Mourners stand outside of the Roger W. Davis Funeral Home, in West Portsmouth, for the visitation of six Rhoden family members on Monday afternoon.

"Over the course of this investigation, more than 100 total items of evidence have been sent to the BCI crime laboratory for DNA, ballistics, latent print, and trace analysis," the release stated.

Since the investigation began, 450 tips have been submitted to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Pike County Sheriff's Office.

The two agencies also have conducted 128 witness interviews and contacts as part of the investigation, the release said.

Enquirer reporter Chrissie Thompson contributed to this report from Columbus. Enquirer producer Bob Strickley contributed to this report from Piketon.

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