DAYTON, Ohio — The suspect who was wanted in connection to the fatal shootings of four people near Dayton has been taken into custody in Lawrence, Kansas.
Butler Township Police Chief John Porter announced late Saturday night 39-year-old Stephen Marlow was apprehended by the Lawrence Police Department just before 10 p.m.
The four people were shot and killed on Friday.
Police in Montgomery County's Butler Township were called to the area shortly before noon Friday on a report of shots fired. Chief Porter said four victims with gunshot wounds were found at “multiple crime scenes.” All were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe Marlow fled the area in an SUV and he was considered "armed and dangerous."
Chief Porter declined to release additional information about Marlow's apprehension Saturday night.
Porter identified the victims Saturday as 82-year-old Clyde Knox, 78-year-old Eva Knox, 41-year-old Sarah Anderson and 15-year-old Kayla Anderson.
Porter said police don't believe there is any ongoing threat to the neighborhood. He said it wasn't immediately clear what led to the shooting. The Dayton Daily News reported that the four victims lived in separate homes near the home owned by Marlow’s parents.
“We are working to determine if there is any motive to this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role,” Porter said. He called the shooting “the first violent crime in this neighborhood in recent memory.”
The FBI field office in Cincinnati said it was part of the investigation and noted that Marlow had ties to Indianapolis, Chicago and Lexington, Kentucky.
The Dayton Daily News reported that Marlow had gotten off probation in February on aggravated burglary and aggravated menacing charges stemming from a July 2019 incident in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia, according to Montgomery County court records.
Vandalia closed a number of public areas Saturday as a precaution following the shooting, including the recreation center, Cassel Hills golf course and pool and the city's senior citizens center, the newspaper reported.
Court documents don't list an attorney representing Marlow; a message seeking comment was left Saturday at a number listed in his name.
