A 22-month-old boy and his two grandparents were found dead of gunshot wounds inside a home in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, on Wednesday, and the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office says the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide.
The Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identities of the three victims as Kozzar Lotut, 22 months old; Melissa Campbell, 51; and Gale Sanders, 67. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Campbell and Sanders were the toddler’s grandparents and had been caring for him. Sheriff Orvis L. Campbell said the child had medical disabilities.
“Right now, if I had to say the evidence was leaning one way, it’s definitely leaning towards a murder-suicide. We’re pretty confident, you know, that it happened within the home,” Sheriff Campbell told WOIO.
How the Call Came In
Deputies were dispatched after a 911 call that was difficult to trace. The unnamed caller initially dialed 911 and hung up. When dispatchers called the number back repeatedly, someone eventually answered on one of those calls and, according to the Sheriff’s Office, softly said the word “help.”
Investigators worked to trace the line and ultimately located a home on Cherry Street in Gnadenhutten. A great grandmother opened the door and let deputies inside, where they found the three bodies.
Investigation Continues
Melissa Campbell appeared to have worked as a registered nurse at New Philadelphia Health Care Center in Ohio prior to her death.
The bodies were taken to the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office for autopsies. The manner and cause of death remain pending. “Additional information will be released as it becomes available and as appropriate,” the Coroner’s Office said.
American Medical Administrators, which operates New Philadelphia Health Care Center, and the Sheriff’s Office have been asked for further comment.
