Three found dead in Ohio home after 911 call for help

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 12:44 · Archive

A 22-month-old toddler and his two grandparents were found shot dead in an Ohio home following a mysterious 911 call.

A 22-month-old toddler and his two grandparents were found shot dead in their home in Gnadenhutten, a small town south of Canton, Ohio, on Wednesday. The victims were identified as Melissa E. Campbell, 51, Gale F. Sanders, 67, and their grandson Kozzar J. Lotut, who had medical disabilities. All three had suffered gunshot wounds.

Emergency dispatchers received a call around 4am in which a voice softly said 'help', but the call disconnected before they could establish where it came from. When they called the number back, they heard what appeared to be a faint plea for assistance. Dispatchers traced the phone to its original owner, who said it was a spare he had lent to an associate. Police eventually located it at the N. Cherry Street home.

Police arrived to find a family member already present who let them inside and showed them the three bodies. A firearm was recovered beside one of the victims. The Tuscarawas County Sheriff said that evidence 'is definitely leaning towards a murder-suicide', but investigators have not publicly identified who fired the fatal shots or what might have prompted the violence. The bodies have been sent to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office for autopsies.

How it is being reported

• Disabled toddler, grandparents found dead in murder-suicide after tragic 911 call pleas softly for ‘help’Three people, including a disabled toddler, were found shot dead in an apparent murder-suicide at an Ohio home following a 911 call for help.New York Post · 23 Oct, 12:33
• Three people found dead in Ohio home after mystery caller dialed 911 and softly said 'help'A 22-month-old toddler and his two grandparents have been identified after all three were found shot dead inside an Ohio home on Wednesday.Daily Mail · 23 Oct, 02:07

In this story: Melissa E. Campbell · Gale F. Sanders · Kozzar J. Lotut · Gnadenhutten · Ohio · Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office

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