Man Pulls $25K Reward in Ohio Slayings Over 'Developments'

An odd and mostly unexplained development in the murder of eight Ohio family members: A local business leader has yanked his $25,000 reward in the case. In a tweet, restaurant owner Jeff Ruby said that "with recent complex criminal developments in Pike Co case, we are withdrawing our reward and involvement," per WKYT. Ruby declined to elaborate to the Cincinnati Enquirer, saying that his advisers asked him not to talk about it. He had made the offer Saturday after consulting with the state attorney general. “It was generous of Mr. Ruby to offer the reward, and it is his choice to withdraw it,” says a spokeswoman for the attorney general.

More than a week after the execution-style slayings, police have not made any arrests or publicly declared a motive, notes the AP. Authorities found commercial-scale marijuana-growing operations at three of the four murder scenes, fueling much speculation about a possible connection to drug cartels. But as the Daily Beast reports, "two of the dead were not shy about making enemies" in their community, either, referring to victims Chris and Frankie Rhoden and their reputations for fighting and violence. Meanwhile, services have begun for the victims. "How can a man face eight funerals?" Tony Rhoden, who lost two brothers, two nephews, and a niece, asks the Columbus Dispatch. (More Ohio stories.)