LANCASTER, Ohio — A welfare check on Saturday afternoon led Lancaster Police to a grim discovery and the arrest of two suspects in what authorities are calling a targeted homicide.

Officers were dispatched to 767 South Maple Street at 1:03 p.m. on August 9, 2025. During a search of the property, police located the body of 81-year-old Gary Franke of Lancaster buried in a shallow grave around 4:31 p.m.

By 8:05 p.m., investigators had identified and interviewed two suspects: John T. Scott , 44, of Laurelville, and Holly L. McDaniel , 45, of Columbus. Police say Scott and Franke had known each other for roughly three decades, and the killing was not a random act.

The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office ruled Franke’s death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound. Scott is charged with Aggra

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