A Whispered 'Help' on a 911 Call: Toddler and His Grandparents Found Shot Dead in an Ohio Home

Mystery is deepening in the US state of Ohio after a 22-month-old toddler and his grandparents were found shot dead inside a home. Investigators reached the house by tracing a mysterious 911 call in which a voice softly whispered the word 'help'. The incident took place in Gnadenhutten.

The Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded on Wednesday to a 911 call where 'a voice softly says the word help', according to a release from the agency.

Inside the home they found three people dead. The victims were Kozzar Lotut, who was just 22 months old, Melissa Campbell, 51, and Gale Sanders, 67. The Tuscarawas County Coroner's Office confirmed their identities. Each had apparent gunshot wounds, investigators said.

County Sheriff Orvis L. Campbell said the deaths are being investigated as a murder-suicide. 'Right now, if I had to say the evidence was leaning one way, it's definitely leaning towards a murder-suicide. We're pretty confident, you know, that it happened within the home,' he said.

The sheriff said the toddler was cared for by his grandparents. He also said the baby had medical disabilities. The deaths have therefore raised grief as well as many questions among those who knew the family.

Details have also emerged of how deputies reached the house. An unnamed caller initially dialled 911 and hung up. Dispatchers tried to call the line back several times, and in one of those calls someone picked up and softly said only the word 'help'.

Through investigative efforts, deputies eventually traced the line back to a home on Cherry Street in the small community. The house is located on North Cherry Street.

After reaching the home, a great-grandmother opened the door and let investigators inside. Once inside, they found the bodies of the three victims.

Melissa Campbell appeared to work as a registered nurse at New Philadelphia Health Care Center before her death. However, investigators have not yet formally confirmed the details of her employment.

The bodies of the three victims were taken to the Tuscarawas County Coroner's Office for autopsies, where the manner and cause of death are still 'pending'. The Coroner's Office said: 'Additional information will be released as it becomes available and as appropriate.'

No arrest has been reported so far in the case. Investigators say they are still gathering information to fully understand what happened inside the home. The autopsy results and further progress in the investigation are expected to make the true picture of the incident clearer.