Assistance sought to pay for Pike County investigation

Officials in Pike County and sheriffs offices across Ohio are reaching out to state officials for money to offset the cost of the now-6-month-old investigation into the murder of eight people in Pike County.

The Pike County Sheriff’s Office has tallied more than $130,000 spent just breaking down, moving and storing evidence in the case — a huge cost for a department with an annual budget of $1.6 million.

Investigators relocated four mobile homes from three properties in Pike County to preserve crime scene evidence, as well as numerous other vehicles and items on the properties. A family member estimated they had up to 80 cars.

Pike County has paid $15,000 to a chemical company to house all of this material through mid-May 2017, plus $6,800 treating the property for bed bugs, and additional costs upgrading security at the facility outside of Waverly.

Pike County Commissioner Blaine Beakman said the county is asking for $200,000 in state support as the cost is expected to grow.

“It’s a lot of money, and it’s something that isn’t budgeted,” he said. “We don’t know how much longer this is going to go on or how much more it’s going to end up costing.”

For more on this story and the investigation into the slayings, see Saturday and Sunday’s Dayton Daily News or go to myDaytonDailyNews.com.

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