At least five adults and two children are dead in southern Ohio in what appears to be “execution-style” killings, law enforcement officials said Friday.
All of the victims are believed to be members of the same family, a statement from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said.
They were found in three homes in Pike County, a rural community about 80 miles east of Cincinnati.
The situation is not being treated as an active shooting and no arrests have been made, the statement said.
Pastor Phil Fulton of Union Hill Church told CNN affiliate WLWT the situation was “very out of character” for the community.
“It’s a tragedy,” he said.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation. It sent more than a dozen agents to assist the Pike County Sheriff’s Office after the request for help came in at 8:21 a.m.
Schools in Pike County and surrounding counties were on lockdown earlier Friday as a precautionary measure, WLWT reported. They are “back to normal” but remain vigilant, Adams County Ohio Valley Local School Superintendent Richard Seas told WLWT.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich called the situation “beyond comprehension” and said the state is working with local law enforcement.
