What’s next in the Pike County murders investigation?

Many of the next steps in the Pike County murders investigation remain known only to authorities, but a recent arrest of victim family member James Manley means the 13-month-old case will remain in the news.

MORE: Father says arrest like ‘tearing the scabs off us’

Manley, 40, was released Wednesday from Ross County Jail after his wife posted 10 percent of his $80,000 bond. He will be subject to random drug tests as part of his release. He faces charges of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and vandalism, a fifth-degree felony, for allegedly destroying a state GPS tracker on his truck.

Manley is not charged in the murders, nor is anyone else. The Ohio Attorney General’s office would not say if Manley, or any other person, is a suspect in the murder case.

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Here’s a look at the next steps in Manley’s case:

Monday: Manley is expected back in Pike County Court at 1 p.m. for a preliminary hearing. The Pike County Court is a municipal-level court. The result of the hearing could bind him over to Pike County Common Pleas Court, which would handle the felony case.

Thursday: If Manley's case is bound over, it may be heard by a grand jury on Thursday — one already scheduled to hear other existing cases. The county prosecutor's office said the grand jury meets once per month, so if the case cannot be heard, it may have to pend for a month, or a special grand jury could be called.

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Beyond: Manley's father, Leonard Manley, said if investigators come back to the family property, they will need a warrant. The father made clear his displeasure with the status of the case during an impromptu press availability this week, saying, "I give them DNA, I give them my phone so they could go through it. I mean, I've answered their stupid questions."

More reporting from Pike County:

» ‘End this nightmare,’ Rhoden family survivors say

» ‘There will always be a scar on this town’

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