Case File: The Rhoden Family Massacre
Background & Family Tensions
The Rhoden and Wagner families were deeply intertwined through relationships, custody disputes, and shared community ties in rural Pike County, Ohio. At the heart of the feud was the custody of a young child born to Hanna Rhoden, one of the victims, and Jake Wagner. Disputes over parenting, control, and family dominance brewed for years, creating bitter divisions.
The Wagner family, insular and controlling, hatched a deadly plan: to wipe out nearly all the entire Rhoden family, securing custody of the child and eliminating perceived threats. It was a decision rooted in obsession, paranoia, and control. How could such intimate family ties descend into a calculated decision to execute eight people in cold blood?
The Night of the Murder
In the dead of night on April 21–22, 2016, the Wagner family carried out one of the most brutal family annihilations in American history. They crept into multiple Rhoden homes, using silencers to ensure their ambush went undetected. The victims were shot at close range, execution-style, many while they slept.
Eight lives were taken: Christopher Rhoden Sr., Gary Rhoden, Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, Hannah Gilley, Dana Rhoden, Chris Rhoden Jr., Hanna Rhoden, and Kenneth Rhoden. In a chilling twist, three young children of whom two were toddlers and a newborn baby were left unharmed at the crime scenes, an eerie reflection of the killers’ selective ruthlessness. What does it say about the perpetrators’ psychology that they spared children but slaughtered their parents?
“Eight people are dead, we’ve never had anything like this.”
~ Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine
Discovery of the Crime Scenes
The massacre unfolded across four separate locations in Pike County. On the morning of April 22, 2016, Bobby Jo Manley, a cousin, arrived to check on family members and discovered a scene of horror: four bodies at the first site. More gruesome discoveries followed at nearby trailers and homes, eventually revealing a total of eight victims.
The scale of the killings shocked not just the local community but the entire nation. Families in small-town Ohio are not used to hearing about local military-style executions. One wonders how could so many killings happen undetected in one night, in a close-knit rural county.
Investigation and Breakthrough
The investigation became one of the most complex in Ohio history. For over two years, law enforcement quietly built their case, tracing the Wagner family’s movements, purchases of firearms, and evidence of planning. The Wagners had relocated to Alaska during the investigation, but were eventually brought back and charged in 2018.
Prosecutors revealed the chilling motive: the custody of Jake Wagner’s young daughter with Hanna Rhoden. Rather than pursuing legal remedies, the Wagners chose to exterminate an entire family line. What does this reveal about the destructive power of control and obsession when mixed with firearms and family ties?
“This is the most complicated crime scene I’ve ever dealt with.”
~ Sheriff Charles Reader
Trials and Sentencing
- Jake Wagner pleaded guilty in 2021 to eight counts of aggravated murder to avoid the death penalty.
- Angela Wagner admitted to conspiracy and related charges, receiving 30 years.
- George Wagner IV went to trial in 2022, was convicted of 22 counts including murder, and sentenced to life without parole.
- George “Billy” Wagner III pleaded guilty in 2023 to all charges, also receiving life without parole.
The trials revealed the depth of planning: forged documents, surveillance, and even the purchasing of parts for homemade silencers. The methodical nature of the crimes stunned jurors and the public alike.
Legacy & Public Reaction
The Rhoden family massacre stands as the largest homicide investigation in Ohio’s history. It raised serious questions about domestic violence, family custody disputes, and the hidden dangers in rural America. For Pike County, the scars run deep and is a reminder that evil can thrive even in quiet communities.
Today, the case serves as a grim warning of how custody battles and toxic family feuds can spiral into unimaginable violence.
Photo: Cincinnati Enquirer
📺 Media and Documentaries:
- Law & Crime Investigates: The Pike County Massacre (2022)
- The Pike County Murders: A Family Massacre (Oxygen, 2023)
- Evil Kin (ID Channel, episode featuring the case)
The Rhoden Family Massacre
Crime Location
Date of Crime
April 21–22, 2016
Perpetrators
Name: George “Billy” Wagner III
Role: Patriarch, planner, and participant in the murders.
DOB: 1971
Criminal Status: Pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder; sentenced to life without parole (2023).
Name: Angela Wagner
Role: Matriarch, co-conspirator, logistics and cover-up planner.
DOB: 1970
Criminal Status: Pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other charges; sentenced to 30 years (2021).
Name: George Wagner IV
Role: Participant, direct involvement in shootings.
DOB: 1991
Criminal Status: Convicted in 2022 on 22 counts including eight murders; life without parole.
Name: Edward “Jake” Wagner
Role: Shooter, targeted victim was his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child.
DOB: 1993
Criminal Status: Pleaded guilty to eight counts of aggravated murder; life without parole.
🕯️ In Memory
8 members of the Rhoden family.
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8
Body Count
(victims)
4
Perps
(how many)
4
Crime Setting
(locations)
Content Creators – YouTube
Ohio Family Savagely Executed in Horrific Mass Murder
A series of grisly crime scenes in Pike County, Ohio, stunned the nation in April 2016. When Bobby Jo Manley
