PIKE COUNTY, OH — The Southern Ohio Organized and Major Crimes Task Force is investigating a decades-old homicide after newly discovered evidence and the recovery of human remains from a well in rural Southern Ohio.
According to Pike County Sheriff Tracy D. Evans, agents responded to Pine Creek Road on April 2, 2025, following a tip about the possible location of three individuals reported missing over 40 years ago from multiple counties. The site, located in the South Webster area, became the focus of an excavation effort involving several law enforcement and emergency response teams.
During the dig, which was temporarily halted due to severe weather, investigators recovered key items of interest—including a bullet—and are working with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI&I) to test those items for human remains. The search resumed on April 14 and remains ongoing.
Officials say this is the latest development in a long-running investigation that may finally bring answers to families who have waited decades for justice.
Sheriff Evans and the task force are now turning to the public for help. Anyone with information related to the investigation is urged to call the confidential tip line at (740) 716-8466. All calls will remain anonymous.
The investigation is being conducted in coordination with Ohio Attorney General David Yost’s office, the Scioto and Pike County Sheriff’s Offices, Portsmouth and New Boston Police, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, and other supporting agencies including the Wayne National Forest, SOCF’s Special Response Team, Columbus Police, and Bloom Township Fire & EMS.
This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
