A 67-year-old man, a 51-year-old woman and their 22-month-old grandson were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds inside a Tuscarawas County home early Wednesday morning, and investigators are exploring the possibility that the deaths were the result of a homicide-suicide, according to Sheriff Orvis Campbell.
The investigation began around 4:20 a.m. when the Tuscarawas County Dispatch Center received a 911 hang-up call from a flip phone that did not provide a location. Dispatchers made several attempts to call the number back.
"In some of the subsequent calls, you do hear a soft voice kind of mumble the word 'Help,'" Campbell said.
Deputies eventually traced the phone to a home on North Cherry Street in the village of Gnadenhutten. Inside, they found the three victims dead.
"Immediately obvious gunshot wounds and there was a gun laying with one of the individuals," Campbell said.
Investigators believe there is a strong possibility the shooter was inside the home.
"We think there's a high probability that the shooter is inside the home based on the location of the evidence," Campbell said.
Campbell declined to identify who fired the shots.
The sheriff said the toddler had some "medical disabilities" and that investigators learned of mental health concerns within the family. However, Campbell said relatives interviewed by investigators never believed violence was likely.
"Nothing to the point that they had thought these individuals in the house would have ever harmed someone. In fact, this little child spent so much time there because they felt the child was certainly safe here. These were people that loved this child, cared for it," Campbell said.
While the investigation remains ongoing, Campbell said he does not believe the community is in danger.
The sheriff told News 5's Bob Jones that he is leaning toward the case being a double homicide-suicide, though investigators continue to work to determine exactly what happened and why.
Tuscarawas County Coroner Dr. Jeff Cameron took custody of the bodies and ordered autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death.
The investigation is ongoing. Authorities said they would release additional information once investigators have gathered and verified the necessary facts.
