A male and female wanted in connection with an alleged Aug. 21 murder in Pike County were arrested Friday in Highland County.
Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera said Aaron Dale Cox, 23, and Ashley Lynn Landrum, 31, were arrested where they had been hiding at a location on Overman Road.
Cox was charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million cash only bond in Pike County.
Landrum is being held on unrelated charges in Ross County. A warrant was issued for her on a charge of murder.
Officials are also looking for Dalton James Boyd. An arrest warrant in connection with the Pike County murder has also been issued for him.
On Aug. 21 at 9:20 a.m. the Pike County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a residence at 2206 Muddy Fork Rd. in Cynthiana. The caller stated that a male, later identified as Christopher Martin, 65, had been shot but was still alive, according to a news release from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office.
However, Martin was pronounced dead at the scene after the arrival of the Pike County coroner.
After implementing an extensive investigation, Pike County investigators said they determined that Cox, Landrum and Boyd had committed the murder. Interviews, along with text messages, helped investigators determine that all three suspects were part of crimes leading to Martin’s death, the Pike County Sheriff’s Office said.
On Friday, Aug. 28, information was obtained leading officers to believe two of three suspects were in Highland County, and the Pike County Sheriff’s Office requested help from the Highland County Sheriff’s Office.
Highland County detectives and several road units assisted in going to locations on Overman Road, located off of U.S. Route 50 east of Hillsboro. Cox and Landrum were located after a search warrant was served at 7777 Overman Road, where numerous amounts of drugs and a gun were located and seized as evidence, according to the news release.
Cox and Landrum were taken into custody without incident, the news release said.
Cox appeared Monday in Pike County Common Pleas Court where his bond was set.
Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to call the Pike County Sheriff’s Office at 740-947-2111 or Highland County Sheriff’s Office at 937-393-1421.
Pike County Sheriff Tracy D. Evans said he would like to thank the following agencies who are currently assisting in the investigation: Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Greenfield Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Pike County Prosecutor’s Office, Piketon Police Department, Ross County Sheriff’s Office, Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Investigations, Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office and the U.S. Marshals.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
