On the night of April 21–22, 2016, something unimaginable unfolded in rural Pike County, Ohio. Across four separate homes in Sunfish Township near Piketon, eight members of the Rhoden family were found shot to death — some while they slept, in what investigators would later describe as a cold, calculated, execution-style massacre. Three young children, including two infants and a toddler, were miraculously left unharmed amid the carnage. 

The bodies of seven adults and a 16-year-old boy were discovered in three adjacent trailers; the eighth victim lay dead in a nearby camper. Local law enforcement quickly called in the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, launching what would become one of the largest and most complex criminal investigations in the state’s history. 

As police pieced together the scenes, unsettling questions mounted. At some crime locations, investigators found large marijuana grow operations, sparking speculation about drug involvement. Officials publicly denied early claims of cartel involvement but remained tight-lipped on motive as the grim count rose. 

For years, the case went cold — a rural community gripped by fear, rumor, and unanswered questions. Then in November 2018, four members of the local Wagner family were arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated murder in connection with the killings. Prosecutors later presented evidence that the murders were tied to a custody dispute, as one of the victims had been involved with a member of the Wagner family. 

This episode unpacks the victims, the victims’ voices, and the web of motives, from the first 911 calls in the early morning light to the trial years later. We’ll trace how a sleepy corner of southern Ohio became the site of a shocking massacre, and how a patient investigation finally brought charges against those accused of shattering eight lives and reverberating grief through an entire community.

Sources

Associated Press. “Mother and Son Get Lengthy Sentences for Roles in Killings of 8 Family Members in Pike County.” WOSU Public Media, 3 Jan. 2025,

https://www.wosu.org/news/2025-01-03/mother-and-son-get-lengthy-sentences-for-roles-in-killings-of-8-family-members-in-pike-county?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

Ohio Attorney General’s Office. “Pike County Homicides: Family Arrested.” Ohio Attorney General, Nov. 2018,

https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/November-2018/Pike-County-Homicides-Family-Arrested?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

“Pike County Massacre: Timeline — A Full History of the Pike County Murders.” WCPO Cincinnati,

https://www.wcpo.com/news/pike-county-massacre/timeline-a-full-history-of-the-pike-county-murders?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

“Pike County Murder Trial: Opening Statements, Evidence & Testimony.” WCPO Cincinnati,

https://www.wcpo.com/news/pike-county-massacre/pike-county-murder-trial-opening-statements-start-first-trial-for-2016-massacre?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

Rodriguez, Ricardo. “Family of Four Charged in Pike County Murders.” WOSU Public Media / Associated Press, 13 Nov. 2018,

https://www.wosu.org/news/2018-11-13/family-of-four-charged-in-pike-county-murders?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

“Pike County Shootings.” Wikipedia,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_County_shootings?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

East London. A quiet churchyard. A body mistaken for someone sleeping.

What begins in 2014 as a suspected overdose unravels into one of the most disturbing serial murder cases in modern British history.

In this episode, we follow the chilling timeline of Stephen Port, a seemingly ordinary man who used dating apps to lure young men back to his flat in Barking. Behind closed doors, he drugged them with lethal doses of GHB. Some were assaulted. All were left near the same churchyard wall by St Margaret’s Church.

Four young lives were taken:

• ​ Anthony Walgate
• ​ Gabriel Kovari
• ​ Daniel Whitworth
• ​ Jack Taylor

As the pattern sharpened, questions grew louder. Why were the deaths treated as overdoses? Why were families dismissed when they raised alarms? And how many warning signs were overlooked before the truth forced its way into the light?

From the first 999 call to the verdict at the Old Bailey, this episode explores not only the calculated cruelty of a serial predator, but the institutional failures that allowed him to continue.

This is a story about vulnerability, accountability, and the cost of missed connections in the digital age

The Grindr Killer: The Case of Stephen Port

This episode was researched using court records, inquest findings, and reporting from the following outlets:

• Trial proceedings from the Old Bailey (R v Stephen Port, 2016)

• Official statements from the Crown Prosecution Service

• Inquest findings and disciplinary outcomes reported by the Independent Office for Police Conduct

• Reporting by BBC News, including coverage of the 2016 trial and 2021 inquest

• Investigative reporting from The Guardian

• Court and sentencing coverage from Sky News and The Independent

Additional context drawn from victim impact statements and public inquest records related to the deaths of:

Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor.

In the 1970s, women across Texas, California, and Nevada disappeared after nights that began in bars and ended in silence.

At the center of it all was Carroll Edward Cole — a quiet, soft-spoken drifter who blended in easily. Born in 1938 in Sioux City, Iowa, Cole later described a childhood marked by instability, alleged abuse, and deep resentment toward his mother. Whether every claim was true or distorted through memory, what is certain is that his rage followed him into adulthood.

After serving in the U.S. Army and drifting between states, Cole began killing in the early 1970s. His victims were adult women, many of whom he met socially before strangling them. Authorities ultimately confirmed at least 16 murders, though Cole claimed more.

Sexual violence was confirmed in multiple cases.

Unlike many serial offenders, Cole did not deny his actions. When arrested in Las Vegas in 1980, he confessed. He waived appeals. He told authorities he would kill again if released. He asked for the death penalty.

On December 6, 1985, Carroll Edward Cole was executed in Nevada’s gas chamber.

This episode traces his life chronologically — from childhood instability to multi-state murders, to arrest, confession, trial, and execution — examining the psychology of a man who believed death was the only way to stop himself.

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Cited Sources

1. Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Checkmark Books, 2006.

2. Ramsland, Katherine. The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation. Berkley Books, 2005.

3. “Carroll Edward Cole.” Murderpedia. Accessed 2026.

4. State of Nevada v. Carroll Edward Cole, Nevada Supreme Court records.

5. Nevada Department of Corrections – Execution Records (December 6, 1985).

6. Associated Press archives, 1980–1985 coverage of Cole’s arrest, confession, and execution.