Investigators: Fear holding back witnesses in killings of 8
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Residents of a rural southern Ohio county are holding back information on the unsolved massacre of eight family members based on fear, authorities said Thursday as the anniversary of the crime approaches.
Some are worried about retaliation by the killers. Others fear incriminating themselves over their own criminal activity — likely involving drugs — unrelated to the slayings, investigators said during a news conference to update the public on the investigation.
“There is absolutely no doubt in my mind or in any investigator’s mind that there’s information that may be part truth, but not all the way true,” said Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader.
Witnesses who come forward will be treated fairly, said Attorney General Mike DeWine, whose office is leading the investigation. The focus is on the homicide, not those individuals’ crimes, he said.