Authorities in Ohio reportedly detained at least one "person of interest" late Friday after police revealed details about a brutal string of shootings in four homes that killed a total of eight family members.
Ohio Attoey General Mike DeWine admitted to the Chillicothe Gazette the person was one of 30 people interviewed in the case. Some of those questioned were from Chillicothe, some 40 miles northeast of where the shootings took place in Piketon.
DeWine told reporters earlier Friday that eight relatives – seven adults and a 16-year-old boy – were apparently shot in the head “execution-style.”
Pike County Sheriff Charles Readers aid at least three young children survived. One was 4 days old, one was 6 months old, and the third was 3 years old. The youngest baby was found dead in bed next to the child’s dead mother.
“My heart goes out to my county,” Reader said.
DeWine said the family's last name was Rhoden, but did not give first names. "If I was a member of that family, I would be extra cautious right now," the attoey general added.
Reader later told a late night news conference he had spoken with the family and gave them "precautionary measures to take."
Asked if he had a message for the killer or killers, Reader replied, "we're coming."
Investigators said it was possible more than one shooter attacked the family because the homes were spread out roughly a mile and a half apart. Three of the four homes were on the same street in Piketon.
Officials said a preliminary investigation revealed that none of the eight killings were by suicide.
According to the Chillicothe Gazette, the first call of a possible fatality came at 7:53 a.m. The sheriff’s office received a 911 call reporting a possible death at a home owned by a Christopher Rhoden on Union Hill Road. Police found two bodies in that home.
While deputies were responding to that call, bystanders flagged authorities down and pointed them to two more houses on the same road. Five move bodies were found in those homes and the 16-year-old was later found at a home on Left Fork Road.
Pastor Phil Fulton told the Gazette that one of the victims was 37-year-old Dana Manley Rhoden, Christopher Rhoden’s ex-wife. Police haven’t confirmed those details
The Union Hill Church pastor opened his doors to the Rhoden family to help deal with their tragic losses. Fulton told WTTE-TV he’s here for them in this difficult time.
"This is a time I've leaed over the years you put your feelings on hold that's hard to do but you embrace the family as you deal with the family this is where we rely on the lord," Fulton said.
He said he has no idea “what kind of evil person” would’ve killed members of the Rhoden family.
The church will remain open providing meals and other support for those affected by the tragedy, according to WTTE-TV.
Authorities didn't release any information on what kind or how many weapons might have been used or whether anything was missing from the homes.
Goldie Hilderbran said she lives about a mile from where she has been told a shooting took place — news she received from a mail carrier who told her deputies had an area blocked off.
"She just told me she knew something really bad has happened," Hilderbran said.
Gov. John Kasich, campaigning in Coecticut for his Republican presidential bid, said his office was monitoring the situation in Pike County and the search for the killer or killers.
"But we'll find them, we'll catch them and they'll be brought to justice," he said.
The FBI in Cinciati also said it was closely monitoring the situation and has offered assistance if needed.
Economically distressed Pike County, about 80 miles east of Cinciati on the weste edge of Appalachia, has about 28,000 people, more than a quarter of whom live in poverty. The area is home to a shuttered Cold War-era uranium plant that's still being cleaned up.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.