Pike County Murders: Brother Of 1 Murdered Woman Arrested

PIKETON, OH — A witness has been charged with tampering with evidence pertinent to the investigation of the murder of eight family members in their homes in Pike County. The witness allegedly destroyed a GPS device relevant to the investigation, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said.

James Manley, 40, of Pike County, has been charged with one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and one count of vandalism, a fifth-degree felony. DeWine said in a statement that these charges are common for the destruction of evidence.

In late April 2016, eight members of the Rhoden family were murdered, execution style, in their homes in Pike County. In more than a year of investigation, no arrests have been made. One of the eight killed is Manley's sister, Dana Manley Rhoden.

James Manley's father, Leonard, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that his son would turn himself in, though he has not been booked at Pike County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon. The GPS device that James allegedly destroyed was installed by law enforcement agents to monitor his whereabouts. When he discovered the GPS, James removed it from his truck, Leonard said.

Law enforcement then showed up to remove the GPS device, found James had already done so, and issued a warrant for his arrest, the elder Manley said. Patch was unable to make contact with Leonard Manley on Tuesday afternoon for comment.

The Manley family has been the focal point of the Pike County investigation for about the past month. Leonard told the Enquirer that law enforcement showed up at James' job, took him to Dayton and had him submit to a polygraph test. Bobby Jo Manley, the youngest daughter of Leonard, has also taken a polygraph test for law enforcement.

Police have repeatedly said they believe fear of legal and criminal repercussions is keeping witnesses from coming forward. One of the killed, Christopher Rhoden Sr., was reportedly operating a commercial marijuana farm on his property, Fox 8 reports. The likelihood is that Rhoden's associates may fear coming forward to law enforcement if they were involved in the distribution or growing of Rhoden's marijuana.

Photo from Renee Schiavone, Patch