The child at the center of an apparent custody dispute that led to the execution-style slayings of eight members of an Ohio family is safe, a family member said Wednesday as the patriarch of the four arrested in the killings appeared in court.

Leonard Manley, whose daughter and grandchildren were among the victims of the April 2016 massacre, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that Sophia Wagner, 4, was safe in neighboring Scioto County.

The 4-year-old girl is the daughter of Edward “Jake” Wagner, one of four people arrested in connection with the slayings, and Hanna Rhoden, one of the victims. The two shared custody of their daughter, who was days old at the time of the killing. Sophia has been with her father since the killings but was with child protective services when he was arrested.

Wagner’s brother, George IV, and his parents, Angela and George “Billy” Wagner III, were also arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder on Tuesday.

The Wagners moved to Kenai, Alaska in June 2017, a little over a year after the April 2016 killings that garnered national attention. At the time of the move, Edward Wagner told the Cincinnati Enquirer said he wanted a better life for his daughter, away from public speculation that he was the killer.

“Really the point to moving up here was to basically get into a better environment so they wouldn’t talk about us. Sophia is getting older, so she wouldn’t hear it,” he said in July 2017.

OHIO FAMILY CHARGED IN RHODEN MURDERS KEPT LOW PROFILE IN ALASKA, NEIGHBOR SAYS

The disclosure about Sophia’s condition came as the patriarch of the Wagners appeared in court in Kentucky, where he was taken into custody on Tuesday. George “Billy” Wagner III waived extradition at Lexington District Court, FOX19 reported.

“Yeah, I’ll go back to Ohio,” he told the judge.

He is expected to appear in court in Pike County, Ohio for their arraignment the week after Thanksgiving, prosecutors told FOX19. The Wagners were indicted by a grand jury on aggravated murder charges and could be sentenced to death, according to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

Edward Wagner was also charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor for having sexual contact with Sophia’s mother when she was 15 and he was 20 years old, DeWine’s office said.

Tony Rhoden, who lost two brothers in the killings, said the family was still processing the news.

“We just don’t know what to think,” Rhoden told the Columbus Dispatch. “It’s a lot to take in.”

Fredericka Wagner, the mother of Billy Wagner, and Rita Newcomb, the mother of Angela Wagner, were also arrested and charged with misleading investigators.

RHODEN FAMILY MURDERS HAVE LINK TO CUSTODY DISPUTE, OHIO AG SAYS

John Clark, a lawyer who has been representing the Wagners, has said previously that four of the Wagner family members provided laptops, phones and DNA samples to investigators and agreed to be interviewed about the slayings.

“We look forward to the day when the true culprits will be discovered and brought to justice for this terrible tragedy,” Clark said in a statement.

The victims were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden Sr.; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, 20-year-old Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, 16-year-old Christopher Jr., and 19-year-old Hanna; Clarence Rhoden’s fiancée, 20-year-old Hannah Gilley; Christopher Rhoden Sr.’s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; and a cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden. Sophia and another baby and child at the home at the time were unharmed.

Fox News’ Nicole Darrah and The Associated Press contributed to this reprot.

This article was curated by Alvin F. de Levie, one of NewsWorld’s Content Curation Experts. http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/yhaWvzCmWZY/girl-at-center-of-rhoden-family-murders-reported-safe-as-suspect-waives-extradition-to-ohio

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