Ohio Sheriff Weighs Evidence in Deaths of Toddler and Grandparents
WHO:
US Magazine - Authorities identified the victims as Melissa E. Campbell, Gale F. Sanders and Kozzar J. Lotut.
Fox News - Tuscarawas County sheriff’s deputies responded to the 911 call.
Fox News - Three people were found dead: a disabled toddler and the child’s grandparents.
US Magazine - Two adults and a 22-month-old boy were found dead in the home.
US Magazine - The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release about the call.
WHAT:
US Magazine - Authorities said the deaths followed a series of mysterious 911 calls.
Fox News - A mysterious 911 call included a whispered “help,” after which deputies found three bodies inside a home.
Fox News - The sheriff said evidence was “leaning one way” in the investigation into the shooting deaths.
US Magazine - Two adults and a 22-month-old baby were found dead after a 911 call asking for “help” abruptly ended.
US Magazine - The sheriff’s office described the call as a “hang-up call.”
WHERE:
Fox News - Deputies found the bodies in a home in Gnadenhutten, Ohio.
US Magazine - The bodies were found in an Ohio home.
WHEN:
US Magazine - The sheriff’s office said the dispatch center received the hang-up call around 4:17 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21.
HOW:
Fox News - The call led deputies to the home after a whispered “help.”
US Magazine - The 911 call abruptly ended; the sheriff’s office said it was received by the dispatch center as a hang-up call.
(UPDATED October 23, 2026 23:18 UTC)
Authorities identified three people found dead in a home in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, after a 911 call ended abruptly. The victims were Melissa E. Campbell, Gale F. Sanders and 22-month-old Kozzar J. Lotut, a child described as disabled. The sheriff’s office said its dispatch center received a hang-up call, and a whispered “help” was heard before the call cut off. Tuscarawas County sheriff’s deputies responded and discovered the bodies inside the home. The victims were the toddler and his two grandparents. Sheriff’s officials described the deaths as shooting deaths and said evidence in the investigation was “leaning one way.” Authorities also said the deaths followed a series of mysterious 911 calls. The investigation is continuing.
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(UPDATED October 23, 2026 16:21 UTC)
A whispered plea for help on a 911 call led Tuscarawas County sheriff’s deputies to a home in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, where they found three people dead. The victims were a 22-month-old boy and his grandparents, according to the sheriff’s office. The dispatch center received the call around 4:17 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21, and classified it as a hang-up call after it abruptly ended. Deputies responded to investigate and discovered the bodies inside the home. The sheriff’s office issued a statement about the call and the deaths. Authorities are investigating the case as a shooting. The sheriff said evidence was “leaning one way,” but did not publicly specify what that meant for the investigation.