Two men who were arrested in connection to a police officer shooting in New Mexico have been linked to an unsolved murder in Ross County, Ohio, according to multiple reports.
Jesse Hanes, of Columbus, and James Nelson, of Newark, are being held in a New Mexico jail after a Hatch, N.M. police officer was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Friday.
The Ross County Ohio Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for the suspects’ arrests in connection to the July 25 fatal shooting of 62-year-old Theodore Timmons, of Londonderry, according to the Cillicothe Gazette.
A news organization in Texas mistakenly connected the suspects to the unsolved Pike County, Ohio slayings from April, when eight members of the Rhoden family were killed.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Pike County Sheriff Charles S. Reader released a joint statement to clarify.
The statement reads that investigators in the Rhoden case have been in touch with Ross County and Hatch N.M. authorities, but “at this time we have no evidence there is a link between Jesse Hanes and James Nelson in the Rhoden murders.”
Authorities continue to seek tips from the public on the Pike County case and a $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
To provide a tip, call 1-800-BCI-OHIO or the Pike County Sheriff’s Office at (740) 947-2111.