Authorities are investigating the deaths of a 22-month-old boy and his two grandparents after the three were found dead inside an Ohio home.
The discovery was made Wednesday in Gnadenhutten, where Tuscarawas County sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said the call captured a voice quietly saying, “help.”
Deputies found Kozzar Lotut, 22 months old, along with Melissa Campbell, 51, and Gale Sanders, 67, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identities.
Melissa Campbell and two other victims were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside an Ohio home. (Facebook/Meta: Melissa Campbell)
Sheriff Orvis L. Campbell said investigators are treating the case as a suspected murder-suicide.
“At this point, if I had to say which way the evidence is pointing, it’s clearly pointing toward a murder-suicide,” he told WOIO. “We’re fairly confident it took place inside the home.”
Investigators said two grandparents and a toddler were found dead Wednesday inside a Gnadenhutten, Ohio, residence. (Facebook/Meta: Sarah Sanders, Melissa Campbell)
The sheriff said the child, who had medical disabilities, was being cared for by his grandparents.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the suspected murder-suicide. (Facebook/Meta: Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office)
Before her death, Campbell reportedly worked as a registered nurse at New Philadelphia Health Care Center in Ohio.
The investigation began after emergency dispatchers struggled to identify the location of the initial 911 call.
The caller dialed 911 but disconnected. Dispatchers repeatedly attempted to return the call, and during one of those attempts, someone answered and quietly said, “help.”
After further investigative work, deputies traced the call to a residence on Cherry Street in the small Ohio community.
Authorities found three people dead in a suspected murder-suicide at a home on North Cherry Street in Gnadenhutten, Ohio. (Google Maps)
A great-grandmother eventually opened the door, allowing investigators to enter the house.
The victims’ bodies were transported to the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office for autopsies. The official causes and manners of death remain pending.
“Additional information will be released as it becomes available and as appropriate,” the coroner’s office said.
News Outlet has contacted American Medical Administrators, which operates New Philadelphia Health Care Center, as well as the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
