Pike County Massacre Explained: Motive, Investigation, and Trials

 

 In April 2016, a quiet rural community in Pike County, Ohio, was shattered by a series of brutal, calculated murders that would become the largest homicide investigation in the state's history. Known as the Pike County Massacre, eight members of the Rhoden family were found murdered across four separate homes, their deaths carried out execution-style. What began as a custody dispute spiraled into a horrific act of mass violence that stunned the nation.

On the morning of April 22, 2016, a 911 call led authorities to a home on Union Hill Road, where two bodies were discovered. Within hours, deputies found six more victims across three additional properties, all within a short drive. Investigators quickly realized the murders were part of a coordinated and premeditated attack, designed to wipe out a single family.

The eight victims, all from the Rhoden family, were:

• Hanna Rhoden (19) – A young mother at the center of a bitter custody dispute

• Christopher Rhoden Sr. (40) – Patriarch of the family

• Dana Rhoden (37) – Christopher Sr.'s ex-wife

• Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden (20) – Their son

• Hannah Hazel Gilley (20) – Frankie’s fiancée

• Christopher Rhoden Jr. (16) – Youngest son of Christopher Sr. and Dana

• Kenneth Rhoden (44) – Christopher Sr.'s older brother

• Gary Rhoden (38) – A cousin

Three young children were found alive at the murder scenes, including Hanna’s 5-day-old newborn baby, her 2-year-old daughter, and Frankie and Hannah’s infant son. Their survival was viewed by investigators as intentional, possibly due to the killers' emotional ties to the children.

The crime scenes yielded no eyewitnesses or usable fingerprints. Instead, law enforcement relied on:

• Ballistic analysis linking shell casings across all locations

• Autopsy reports confirm that all victims were killed in their sleep, shot at point-blank range

• Trace evidence like gunshot residue and clothing fibers

• Digital evidence, including phone records and GPS data

Investigators uncovered signs of marijuana cultivation and cockfighting, but these were later ruled irrelevant to the motive.

Over time, suspicion turned toward the Wagner family—closely associated with the Rhodens through Jake Wagner’s relationship with Hanna and their shared daughter. By 2018, after securing wiretaps and gathering surveillance, law enforcement built a strong case. Wiretap conversations captured members of the Wagner family discussing the murders, hiding weapons, and coordinating false alibis.

At the center of the tragedy was a bitter dispute over the custody of the infant daughter of Hanna Rhoden and Edward "Jake" Wagner. The Rhoden family believed Jake had abused Hanna, who was only 13 or 14 when their relationship began. The Wagners, on the other hand, felt that custody decisions were unjustly biased against them.

As the custody battle grew increasingly hostile, prosecutors believe Jake Wagner and his family decided to eliminate anyone who could challenge their custody or testify against them in court. The plan, investigators later revealed, had been months in the making.

Their objective: leave no witnesses.

In November 2018, four members of the Wagner family were arrested and charged with the murders:

• George “Billy” Wagner III

• Angela Wagner

• George Wagner IV

• Edward “Jake” Wagner

Jake Wagner Pleads Guilty

In April 2021, Jake Wagner pleaded guilty to all eight murders, admitting he personally killed five of the victims. His guilty plea spared him the death penalty in exchange for testifying against his family.

Angela Wagner Pleads Guilty

Jake’s mother, Angela Wagner, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to conspiracy and other charges, also avoiding the death penalty.

George Wagner IV Trial

In 2022, George Wagner IV went to trial and was found guilty on all counts, receiving eight consecutive life sentences without parole.

Billy Wagner Awaiting Trial

As of 2025, George “Billy” Wagner III awaits trial. He has pleaded not guilty.

The victims of the Pike County Massacre were not just names in a legal case—they were parents, siblings, and children, all part of a close-knit family. Their lives were cut short in the most tragic way, leaving a legacy of grief that still lingers in Pike County.

Despite the horror of the events, the community has worked to preserve the memory of the Rhoden family and support the surviving children, who now grow up carrying the weight of a story that shocked the nation.

The Pike County Massacre highlighted the extreme consequences of family conflict, custody disputes, and it prompted increased awareness of how domestic issues can escalate and the importance of early intervention.

For Ohio—and for the Rhoden family—the case remains a powerful reminder of how deeply personal rage and fear can spiral into unimaginable violence.