Dispatchers could not immediately locate the caller, setting off a search that eventually directed deputies to a Gnadenhutten home.
GNADENHUTTEN, Ohio — A 911 call that disconnected within seconds, followed by what dispatchers believed was a softly spoken plea for help, triggered an early-morning effort to trace a phone that ultimately led deputies to three people found dead inside a Tuscarawas County home.
The emergency call came into the county’s dispatch center at 4:17 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, according to Sheriff Orvis Campbell. Because the call ended almost immediately, dispatchers initially did not have a location to send deputies. What followed was a series of callbacks and attempts to determine where the phone had gone.
During one callback, authorities said a voice appeared to softly say “help.” Dispatchers continued trying to reach the device and determine its location. Investigators eventually contacted the phone’s owner, who told them the device was a spare that had been loaned to an associate.
Authorities examined several possible locations before determining the phone might be at a residence on North Cherry Street in the village of Gnadenhutten. A family member was located at the property and unlocked the door, allowing deputies to enter.
Inside, deputies found a 67-year-old man, a 51-year-old woman and a 22-month-old boy dead with apparent gunshot wounds. A firearm was recovered at the scene. The three were later identified by the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office as Gale Sanders, 67; Melissa Campbell, 51; and Kozzar Lotut, 22 months.
Campbell later said the two adults were Kozzar’s grandparents and frequently helped care for him because of medical disabilities. Authorities have not publicly detailed who placed the initial 911 call or who was heard during the callback.
The sheriff has said evidence at the scene is leaning toward a murder-suicide inside the home. Investigators have not issued a final finding, however, and authorities have not publicly named the person they believe fired the shots. Campbell has said the investigation still requires interviews and evidence review.
The bodies were transferred for autopsies, which are expected to establish the official causes and manners of death. Those findings are important because the sheriff’s assessment remains preliminary while the coroner and investigators complete their work.
Campbell said soon after the discovery that he believed the public was not in continuing danger. The sheriff’s office has said more information will be released after investigators are confident the relevant facts have been gathered and verified.
The case remains under investigation by Tuscarawas County authorities, with the 911 call, the phone-tracing effort, evidence from the home and autopsy findings forming key parts of the continuing inquiry.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 23, 2026.