Authorities have identified the three people found dead Wednesday, October 21, 2026, inside a home on North Cherry Street in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, as 22-month-old Kozzar J. Lotut and his grandparents, Melissa E. Campbell, 51, and Gale F. Sanders, 67, according to the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office. All three died of gunshot wounds. The sheriff has said evidence currently points to a murder-suicide, though the coroner says official causes and manners of death are pending autopsies.
A faint whisper on a 911 line led deputies to a house in a small Ohio village, where they found three generations of one family dead.
The 911 Calls
According to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers received a hang-up 911 call a little after 4 a.m. Wednesday that was disconnected immediately, so the location couldn’t be tracked. Dispatchers repeatedly called back, and on one of those calls they heard what sounded like a voice softly saying the word “help.”
While trying to trace the phone, investigators learned from the number’s owner that he had loaned it to someone else. After checking several possible locations, police traced the phone to a home on North Cherry Street in the Village of Gnadenhutten. A family member was at the scene and unlocked the door for deputies, who then found the three victims inside.
Who Died
The Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office identified the victims in a statement after the sheriff’s initial release did not name them:
- Kozzar J. Lotut, 22 months
- Melissa E. Campbell, 51
- Gale F. Sanders, 67
Campbell and Sanders were Kozzar’s grandparents, and they frequently helped care for him because of his medical disabilities, according to Cleveland 19.
What Investigators Say
The sheriff has said the evidence currently points to a murder-suicide, according to Cleveland 19. He said a firearm was recovered next to one of the deceased but did not specify further. Authorities have not said who was responsible, and they have not publicly explained what led to the shooting.
The coroner’s office said official determinations of the cause and manner of each death are pending autopsies at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Authorities say they believe the community is not in danger. The investigation is ongoing.
