Slayings shock community: ; Family of 7 found dead in burned trailer in Ohio

AVA, Ohio - A family of seven found dead in their fire-guttedhome, victims of an apparent murder-suicide, had shown no signs ofviolence although the parents were discussing divorce, neighbors andofficials said. Noble County Sheriff Landon T. Smith wouldn't saywho he believes was responsible for the deaths, although nobodyoutside the family is considered a suspect.

Smith said a fire accelerant was found. "This fire was definitelyset," he said.

The bodies of Richard Pangle, 37, his wife Sheryl, 29, and theirfive children were found after a blaze destroyed their traileraround 3 a.m. Monday.

Preliminary autopsy reports showed the two youngest children, 5-year-old twins Trina and Trinda, died of single gunshot wounds,Smith said.

Four guns and spent shells were found in the living room near thebodies of the parents and their eldest daughter, Kayla, 12. Thebodies of the twins and their brothers Brett, 10, and Derek, 7, werefound in the two bedrooms.

A neighbor in a camper about 20 feet from the trailer, at the endof a gravel road in the Appalachian foothills of eastern Ohio, sawthe fire and ran to a nearby home to call for help, Smith said.

Deputies had never received complaints of domestic violenceinvolving the Pangles, Smith said. He added that, although thecouple was discussing a divorce, he saw them driving together Sundayduring a celebration in Ava, about 75 miles east of Columbus.

"I've known the Pangle family forever," Smith said.

Lloyd Anderson, Sheryl Pangle's brother, said Richard Pangledoted on his children and recently bought them new bicycles. Thosebikes, along with several toys, were scattered around the shell ofthe home Monday.

"Those were Richie's gardens," Anderson said, pointing to theneat rows of corn, pumpkins, flowers and watermelon growing near thetrailer. "He figured with five kids, he'd better have a couple ofgardens and the kids helped him can some of the vegetables."

Neighbor Cheryl Morgareidge said she saw Richard Pangle asrecently as Friday at a high school football game.

"It's a small town and a small county," she said. "Everybodyknows everybody else, which makes it that much harder when somethinglike this happens."

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