text: "They were doing this to sell and, you know, we don't know whether it is relevant or not, but at this point, everything is relevant," said DeWine. ||||| Four relatives were arrested in connection with the deaths of eight relatives (Photo: Provided) 
   
   "There was an obsession with control of the children," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said at a Tuesday news conference announcing the long-awaited arrests in the massacre of an entire Pike County family. 
   
   Arrested and charged with murder and a slew of other charges were Angela Wagner, 48, her husband George "Billy" Wagner, 47, and their two sons, George Wagner IV, 27, and Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26. 
   
   Pike County Sheriff Charlie Reader talks about how the four members of the Wagner family were apprehended at a press conference in Waverly, Ohio, on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. (Photo: Robert McGraw/Gazette) 
   
   At the center of the case is Sophia Wagner, 4, the daughter of Jake Wagner and Hanna Rhoden. 
   
   Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40; his older brother, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; Christopher's former wife, Dana Manley Rhoden, 38; their three children, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20; Hanna Rhoden, 19, and Chris Rhoden, Jr., 16; and a cousin Gary Rhoden, 38, and Hannah Gilley, 20, were all killed in their homes April 22, 2016. Most were asleep while the Wagners allegedly executed a meticulously planned attack to wipe out the family, DeWine said Tuesday. 
   
   Two others have been arrested in connection with a cover-up of the crimes: Rita Newcomb and Fredericka Wagner, mothers of Angela Wagner and George "Billy" Wagner are accused of forging custody documents. 
   
   Pike County Sheriff Charlie Reader talks about how the four members of the Wagner family were apprehended at a press conference in Waverly, Ohio, on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. (Photo: Robert McGraw/Gazette) 
   
   Authorities said Billy Wagner was arrested in Fayette County, Kentucky. Angela Wagner was arrested at her home in Scioto County. Jake and George Wagner were arrested in Ross County. Fredricka was arrested at the family's Flying W farm in Lucasville, which had been previously raided. Rita Newcomb was arrested at her home in South Webster, Ohio. 
   
   "They did this quickly, coldly, calmly and very carefully – but not carefully enough," said. Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader. 
   
   Prosecutors allege Angela Wagner purchased several items in the months leading up to the deaths of the Rhoden family and Hannah Gilley. 
   
   "...specific shoes from Walmart, 'brass catcher(s),' items with which to build 'brass catchers,' ammunition, a magazine clip, a 'bug' detector, and or items with which to build a 'silencer(s),' and/or various other items in preparation for these crimes," the indictment states. 
   
   Brass catchers are used to collect discharged bullet casings. 
   
   Prosecutors also say members of the family forged custody documents in their efforts to keep Sophia Wagner. 
   
   The attorney for the Wagners, John Kearson Clark, in a statement said his clients were innocent and looked forward to their trials. Clark said the family hopes the true culprits were brought to justice. 
   
   "They are hopeful for a thorough vetting of the facts," Clark said. 
   
   Authorities have repeatedly said the killers worked to cover their tracks, adding complexity to what is the largest homicide investigation in Ohio history. DeWine reiterated that point Tuesday saying authorities estimate that they conducted tens of thousands of hours of investigative work, followed more than 1,100 tips from the public and conducted 550 interviews. 
   
   More: Pike County residents remain uneasy even after Tuesday's arrests and charges 
   
   More: Pike County: What we know about the arrests made in the Rhoden family massacre 
   
   More: Pike County: Custody battle plays role in Rhoden family massacre 
   
   Dismissed by DeWine and Reader was the theory that the slain Rhoden family members had a soured marijuana business relationship. 
   
   They also said they don't believe anyone else is involved. 
   
   The Wagners moved to Kenai, Alaska, from Adams County, Ohio, in June 2017, telling The Enquirer the speculation of their involvement in the Rhoden deaths drove them to move 4,107 miles. 
   
   “Really the point to moving up here was to basically get into a better environment so they wouldn’t talk about us. Sophia is getting older, so she wouldn’t hear it,” Jake Wagner told The Enquirer in July 2017, standing on the family’s front porch in Kenai. “And then it followed us here.” 
   
   DeWine said the family moved back to the area in the spring of 2018. 
   
   What's next? 
   
   While the trial is planned to be held in Pike County Common Pleas Court, Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk did acknowledge the possibility of a defense attorney asking a judge to move the trial out of the county due to the publicity of the case. 
   
   Further complicating and delaying the case is the complexity of it being a capital punishment case, meaning the defense attorneys would need a special qualification to represent the Wagners. 
   
   There wasn't a schedule for arraignment for the family Tuesday evening, however each person charged was in custody at various jails in Ohio and Kentucky. 
   
   The Wagners are also facing a series of additional charges including: conspiracy, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a dangerous ordinance, forgery, unauthorized use of property, interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, obstructing justice, and aggravated burglary. 
   
   Reached for comment Tuesday afternoon, Leonard Manley, father of Dana Rhoden Manley, declined to comment on the Wagners' arrest. 
   
   Two other people were also arrested today in connection with the alleged cover-up of the #PikeCounty homicides. Anglea Wagner's mother, Rita Newcomb, and Billy Wagner's mother, Fredericka Wager. pic.twitter.com/WRuagVXMAB — Ohio AG Mike DeWine (@OhioAG) November 13, 2018 
   
   More: Pike County: Death in the foothills 
   
   More: Pike County: What we know about the arrests made in the Rhoden family massacre 
   
   More: Rhoden family massacre: Autopsy reports indicate one victim was awake when fatally shot 
   
   More: On the second anniversary of the Rhoden family massacre: 'I still got a lot of hate' 
   
   More: Pike County: Death in the foothills 
   
   Comprehensive coverage 
   
   ►: Pike County: Wagner family arrested in the Rhoden family massacre 
   
   ►: Rhoden family massacre: Autopsy reports indicate one victim was awake when fatally shot 
   
   ►: On the second anniversary of the Rhoden family massacre: 'I still got a lot of hate' 
   
   ►: 2 years since Pike County slayings, surviving child lives with fear. 'He's trapped by it' 
   
   ►: Warrant: Investigators put GPS tracker on truck of Rhoden victim's brother 
   
   ►: Rhoden family massacre: Wagner family tries to create new home in Alaska amid rumors 
   
   ►: Police spokesman wrongly says SWAT present at Pike County raid for 'suspects' 
   
   ►: Lawyer: Mike DeWine is harassing family in Rhoden case that moved to Alaska 
   
   ►: Pike County: Death in the foothills 
   
   Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/crime-and-courts/2018/11/13/pike-county-massacre-wagner-family-arrested-rhoden-family-homicides/1373456002/ ||||| This undated images released by the Ohio Attorney General's office, shows Angela Wagner, one of four family members that has been arrested in the slayings of eight members of one family in rural Ohio... (Associated Press) 
   
   This undated images released by the Ohio Attorney General's office, shows Angela Wagner, one of four family members that has been arrested in the slayings of eight members of one family in rural Ohio two years ago, authorities announced Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (Ohio Attorney General's office via AP) (Associated Press) 
   
   COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A family of four arrested Tuesday in the gruesome slayings of eight people from another family in rural Ohio two years ago carefully planned the killings for months in a crime prosecutors vaguely explained as a custody dispute, authorities said. 
   
   Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said a grand jury indicted the four on aggravated murder charges and that could be sentenced to death if convicted. 
   
   DeWine gave scant detail about why they were killed, but did say the custody of young child played a role. 
   
   Arrested were four members of the Wagner family, who lived near the scenes of the killing about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Columbus. 
   
   One of those arrested was Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26, who was a long-time former boyfriend of 19-year-old Hanna Rhoden, one of the eight victims, and shared custody of their daughter at the time of the massacre. 
   
   The others arrested were Wagner's father, George "Billy" Wagner III, 47; his wife, 48-year-old Angela Wagner; and George Wagner, 27. 
   
   The Wagners had moved to Alaska, but authorities said three were arrested in Ohio. 
   
   Police in Kentucky say the FBI tracked "Billy" Wagner to Lexington, where he was arrested without incident at around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Lexington police weren't sure if he had been living in the area. 
   
   Authorities said Wagner was arrested in a horse trailer that was pulled over. 
   
   It's the culmination of a massive investigative effort since seven adults and a teenage boy were found shot in the head at four homes in April 2016. 
   
   Investigators scrambling to determine who targeted the Rhoden family and why had conducted over 130 interviews and processed over 100 pieces of evidence and 550 tips, while getting assistance from more than 20 law enforcement agencies. 
   
   Dewine said the case involved an "obsession with the custody and control of children" and called it one of the most bizarre situations he has seen. 
   
   He also said the Wagner family knew the victims well and spent months studying their routines and the layouts of their homes. "They had thought about it, a lot" he said. 
   
   Authorities in June of 2017 announced they were seeking information about the Wagners, including details on personal or business interactions and conversations that people may have had with the four. 
   
   None was named a suspect at the time. Investigators also said they had searched property in southern Ohio sold by the Wagners. 
   
   Both Jake Wagner and Angela Wagner told the Cincinnati Enquirer they were not involved in the April 2016 killings. 
   
   Angela Wagner said in an email to the newspaper that what happened was devastating and Hanna Rhoden was like a daughter to her. 
   
   Wagner also told The Enquirer that her husband, Billy, and Christopher Rhoden Sr. were more like brothers than friends. 
   
   John Clark, a lawyer who has been representing the Wagners, said a year ago that four of the Wagner family members had provided laptops, phones and DNA samples to investigators, and agreed to be interviewed about the slayings. 
   
   Clark said Tuesday the family will be vindicated. 
   
   "We look forward to the day when the true culprits will be discovered and brought to justice for this terrible tragedy," Clark said in a statement. He added: "The Wagners are also very hopeful that in the ensuing months there will be a thorough vetting of all the facts." 
   
   The Wagner family has lived in Peebles, Ohio, at the time of the killings but later moved to Alaska. 
   
   Clark told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the family was being "harassed while the real killer or killers are out there." 
   
   A coroner said all but one of the victims was shot more than once, including two people shot five times and one shot nine times. Some also had bruising, consistent with the first 911 caller's description of two victims appearing to have been beaten. The coroner's report didn't specify which victims had which wounds. 
   
   Authorities said marijuana growing operations were found at three of the four crime scenes. That's not uncommon in this corner of Appalachia but stoked rumors that the slayings were related to drugs, one of many theories on possible motives that percolated in public locally. 
   
   The victims were identified as 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Jr., and 19-year-old Hanna; Frankie Rhoden's fiancée, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden. Hanna Rhoden's days-old baby girl, another baby and a young child were unharmed. 
   
   It appeared some of them were killed as they slept, including Hanna Rhoden, who was in bed with her newborn nearby, authorities said. The child, Hannah Gilley's 6-month-old baby and another small child weren't hurt. 
   
   Three funerals were held for the victims. 
   
   ___ 
   
   Associated Press Writers John Seewer in Toledo and Dylan T. Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report. ||||| The father of a surviving Rhoden child started a Gofundme account to help with legal bills he acquired to gain custody of his toddler-aged daughter. 
   
   Jake Wagner, the father of Sophia Wagner, created a GoFundMe account to help defray attorney costs related to his custody battle. Sophia is the daughter of Hanna Rhoden, who was killed with seven other members of her family April 22. (Photo: Provided) 
   
   Jake Wagner still can't quite bring himself to tell his 2 1/2-year-old daughter that her mommy is dead. 
   
   It's the finality of that word that stops him. He worries about the tow-headed toddler's unpredictable reaction. There will be, he knows, so many questions. He is concerned, too, she may become frightened. 
   
   He knows there will come a day when he will tell Sophia that her mom, Hanna Rhoden, was shot and killed with seven of her extended family members on April 22. He knows another day will arrive when he and she will make the trip to the cemetery where her mom is buried alongside two of her uncles and her maternal grandparents. 
   
   "I've told her that mommy is with Jesus and we will see her again later,'' Wagner said. "I don't know if she knows Hanna isn't coming back. 
   
   "I don't know if she understands." 
   
   How could she? 
   
   In addition to her mom, also killed were: her grandparents, Christopher Rhoden, 40, and Dana Rhoden, 37; her uncles, Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20, and Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16; a great uncle, Kenneth Rhoden, 44; and a cousin, Gary Rhoden, 38. Also killed was Frankie Rhoden's fiancee Hannah Gilley, 20. 
   
   Two of her cousins, Ruger Rhoden, then 6 months, and Brentley Rhoden, 3, along with her newborn sister, Kylie, were found alive and physically unhurt in the trailers they shared with their parents. 
   
   The investigation is now in its fourth month with no stated motive nor suspects and no arrests. And as the criminal case is moving along, so is the business of custody and estates. Neither is easy. 
   
   A memorial at Ohio 32 and Union Hill Road in Pike County, where some of the eight victims were killed. Top left: Chris Rhoden, Frankie Rhoden and his fianceé, Hannah Gilley, Bottom left: Hanna Rhoden and her mom, Dana Rhoden. (Photo: Liz Dufour) 
   
   'Hate seeing my daughter cry' 
   
   This is Wagner's new reality: Full-time, single dad with mounting legal bills with a new job that pays half what he was making to ensure he is close to Sophia. But close still means the 23-year-old makes a daily commute from Peebles to Cincinnati, a 2 1/2-hour daily drive. 
   
   Wagner won custody of his little girl last month in Pike County, he said. And while the ruling was not unexpected, the legal bills were. This week Wagner set up a GoFundMe account in an effort to defray the legal bills and other unexpected but associated costs. He didn't know about the website until his mother mentioned it to him. He said he didn't want to draw attention to himself or to his daughter, but also didn't see a way out of the debt he has incurred since the homicide. 
   
   "These were not expenses I was supposed to have. I was just supposed to be able to spend time with her and give her a happy childhood, she is only 2 1/2 years old,'' Wagner wrote on the page of the crowd-fundraising site. "Sophia and I are just asking for enough to settle the fees that we acquired due to the horrific tragedy to her mommy. 
   
   "We want to get our lives back,'' he wrote. "I hate seeing my daughter cry." 
   
   Wagner set a fundraising goal of $20,000, but said his legal bills were not quite that high. But, he added, his legal bills were four times more than what he expected. The former over-the-road truck driver and trained mechanic has maxed out his credit cards. He said he is paying his lawyer in what is left over after he pays his other bills every month. It hardly makes a dent. 
   
   Hanna Rhoden and Wagner shared custody of Sophia, who was supposed to be with her mom that fateful Friday evening, he said. But Wagner picked her up a day earlier than normal: "I reckon we missed it by just hours." 
   
   Hanna Rhoden after giving birth to her daughter Kylie on April 17. (Photo: Provided) 
   
   Sophia's 5-day-old baby sister, Kylie, was nuzzled next their mom when she was killed. The baby remains in the protective custody of the county as officials have been working to establish her paternity. Wagner declined to publicly discuss the paternity case on Thursday, but has said that he and at least one other young man could be her father. 
   
   Neither court nor county officials will discuss the custody issues surrounding Kylie and Ruger. The Pike County Children Services Board filed a motion asking the county's juvenile court to seal those records and related court proceedings in the case. The Enquirer believes the proceedings are public under Ohio law. A court hearing on the issue is set for Aug. 4. 
   
   It's unclear if any family members have been able to see either Ruger or Kylie. Wagner knows that Sophia hasn't seen them since April 21. 
   
   But he has taken her to play with her cousin Brentley at a playground. She was at a family wedding this past weekend. She recently visited her great-grandmother Geneva Rhoden, which put a rare smile on the 73-year-old's matriarch's face. 
   
   Dad and daughter are working to find a sense of normalcy and routine. There are the four-wheeler rides he takes her on, to a nearby creek. She helps him in the barn with the animals. There are tea parties, nail polishing sessions and Disney videos. 
   
   On the nights he makes it home before she drifts off to sleep, they read books together -- "Finding Nemo" is her current favorite. 
   
   When they are all done, she interlocks her little fingers and she prays. 
   
   "And I have her talk to her mom." 
   
   Chris Graves is the Enquirer's local columnist. She has been writing about the Rhoden family massacre since April. You can email her at cgraves@enquirer.com or follow her on Twitter @chrisgraves. 
   
   Reward offered 
   
   Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers at 740-773-TIPS. Anonymous tips are still being taken at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446) or the Pike County Sheriff's Office at 740-947-2111. 
   
   A $10,000 Crime Stoppers reward would be paid for any information that leads to apprehension of suspects and a conviction in the case. 
   
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target: – Two and a half years after the execution-style slayings of eight members of the Rhoden family in Ohio, another family has been arrested. Four members of the Wagner family were arrested Tuesday, and authorities say a custody dispute played a role in the murders, the AP reports. Edward "Jake" Wagner, now 26, was the ex-boyfriend of Hanna Rhoden, 19, who was killed while lying in bed with her 4-day-old baby girl. Wagner was not the newborn's father, but shared custody of another daughter, Sophia, now 5, with Rhoden. Sophia was not with her mother when she was murdered; the newborn as well as two of her young cousins who were present were not hurt. (This chart shows how all the victims were related.) Also arrested, per Cincinnati.com: Wagner's parents George "Billy" Wagner III, 47, and Angela Wagner, 48, and his brother George Wagner IV, 27. All four have been charged with eight counts of aggravated murder and also face a slew of other charges. The mothers of both elder Wagners were also arrested and accused of forging custody documents in an alleged cover-up of the crimes. Citing a "fixation" and "obsession" the Wagner family allegedly had with the custody situation, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said Tuesday the situation is "the most bizarre story I've ever seen. It's just amazing." Authorities say the Wagners knew the Rhodens well and spent months studying their routines and the layouts of their homes. But the Wagners have long denied involvement and insisted they were close friends with the Rhodens; they moved to Alaska after the killings due, they said, to intense speculation over their possible involvement in the case. "Sophia is getting older," Jake Wagner (who also set up a GoFundMe for custody-related legal bills in the wake of the massacre) said at the time, so they moved "so she wouldn’t hear it." They were arrested, however, in Ohio and Kentucky. (See all our previous coverage of the massacre.)