The Hopper Road murders: an engaged couple shot while they slept, and an Attorney General who said someone knows exactly who did it.
On Dec 9, 2006, Curtis Francis, 34, and his fiancée Jennifer Burgette, 30, were found shot to death in their home at 124 Hopper Road in Piketon, Ohio. Both were shot overnight while they were asleep, according to reports. No one has been charged.
Case file at a glance
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in 2012 that investigators were certain someone knows who killed them, that more than one person may have known, and that the killer likely knew the couple. The case was reopened several times and is now a cold case. The Pike County Sheriff said the detectives had exhausted all leads.
- Shot as they slept.The Attorney General says both were shot during the overnight hours.
- Someone knows.In Nov 2012 DeWine said investigators were certain someone knows exactly who killed them.
- Reopened and shelved.The sheriff and the Attorney General reopened the case more than once and listed it as cold.
- Tips go to BCI.Ohio BCI: 855-224-6446.
Editorial assessment of public sources, not a finding of fact. Nobody named here has been charged unless this page says so.
What happened
Details come from the Ohio Attorney General (case 64), a 2012 news release as reported by WOUB, and an NBC News Dateline report.
Found shot
Curtis Francis and Jennifer Burgette are found dead in their home at 124 Hopper Road in Piketon, shot overnight.
Reopened
The Pike County Sheriff and the Attorney General reopen the case more than once.
A public appeal
Attorney General Mike DeWine includes the case in his Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative and says he is certain someone knows who killed them.
Shelved
NBC News reports the case has been shelved as a cold case. The sheriff said detectives exhausted all leads.
Listed
The Attorney General lists the case as unsolved and asks for tips.
Victims
An engaged couple killed in their own home.
Photo: Ohio Attorney General listing. The source states no reuse license; shown at the site owner's direction. Contact us to have it removed.
DiedCurtis Francis, 34
Curtis W. Francis, engaged to Jennifer Burgette. His brother has pressed for answers.
Photo: Ohio Attorney General, unsolved-homicide listing. The source states no reuse license; shown at the site owner's direction. Contact us to have it removed.
DiedJennifer Burgette, 30
Engaged to Curtis Francis. The Attorney General page has no photo of her.
Photos marked as from the Ohio Attorney General are credited under each picture. Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Evidence
What exists, and what each piece may or may not mean.
| Item | What is known | Disputed or unknown |
|---|---|---|
| The shootings | Both shot overnight at home. | Caliber and number of shots: not public. |
| The scene | The home at 124 Hopper Road. | Forced entry or not: not public in what we read. |
| Witnesses | Investigators believed more than one person may have known. | Names: not public. |
Public documents
The state listing is the main public record.
| Document | Holder | What it shows | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General: Curtis Francis | Ohio Attorney General | Case 64. | Online, free |
| Pike County Sheriff case file | Pike County Sheriff; Ohio BCI | The investigation. | Withheld or sealed |
Access labels: Online, free = we could open it. Fan-hosted copy = a private researcher posted scans; originals are held by the named agency, and we cannot vouch for completeness. Quoted in news = reporters read it; we did not see the document itself. Request needed = held by an agency or court. Withheld = the holder has not released it. We cannot reach non-public records, and we do not try to.
Online discussion (unverified)
Where people talk about this case online, and how to read it.
| Platform | Live search | What you tend to find |
|---|---|---|
| Google: Reddit | site:reddit.com search | Public Reddit threads that Google has indexed, including old discussions. |
| Google: X and Twitter | X and Twitter posts | Public posts and profiles that appear in search results. |
| Google: Facebook | Public Facebook pages and posts | Only public pages and groups that Google can see. Private groups never appear. |
| Google: Instagram and TikTok | Instagram and TikTok | Public posts, memorials, and videos. |
| Google: forums | Forums and message boards | Long-running true-crime forums. |
| Google News | Latest news | Newest reporting, which is usually more reliable than posts. |
| Search Reddit | Long discussion threads and theories, often by amateur researchers. No sign-in needed to read. | |
| X (Twitter) | Search X | Short posts, news links, and anniversary notes. May require sign-in. |
| Search Facebook | Public groups and family or community pages. Requires sign-in. | |
| Search #hopperroadmurders | Memorial and true-crime posts. Requires sign-in. | |
| YouTube | Search YouTube | Documentaries, news clips, and interviews. Quality varies widely. |
Be careful with online theories. Naming a private person as a suspect can harm an innocent family, and many "identifications" on forums have been wrong. Our own tools could not read these platforms: Reddit blocks automated access, and the others require an account. The Google searches above work from your browser. To get new public mentions by email, make a free Google Alert for the case name in quotation marks.
Coverage timeline and verification
What local and national reports say, and when we last checked for a solution.
| Date | Outlet | What it reported | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | |||
| Ohio Attorney General | |||
| Case 64 listing. | |||
| Read | |||
| Dec 4, 2012 | |||
| WOUB | |||
| DeWine appeals for leads (seen in search results). | |||
| Read |
Status is re-checked on a regular schedule. If you know of a development we missed, use the clue form near the top of this page or the contact form, and include a link.
Suspects
No suspect has been publicly named.
The killer or killers
Why named: The Attorney General said in 2012 the killer likely knew the couple and that more than one person may have known.
Against: No names or charges are public.
Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Latest lead: the people who know
The public lead is the Attorney General's statement that someone knows who did it.
What is known
- DeWine said in 2012 that someone knows exactly who killed them.
- The case was shelved as cold after being reopened.
- The sheriff said all leads were exhausted.
What would settle it
- New interviews with people who knew the couple.
- Re-test evidence from the home.
- Offer a reward through BCI or Crime Stoppers to encourage someone to come forward.
A killing by someone who knew the couple, with silent witnesses
We put the chance that the killer knew the couple at roughly 80%, matching the Attorney General. We put the chance of a solution within five years at roughly 8%.
Editorial judgment, not statistics.
Elimination matrix
"—" means no public information, not a clean result.
| Person or idea | Knew the couple | Physical link | Legal outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| The killer (unidentified) | |||
| ✓ likely, per AG | |||
| — none published | |||
| — unidentified |
✗ excluded or contradicted · ✓ supports · ? disputed · — nothing public. No cell is an official finding.
Our hypothesis
Editorial reading of public records. A working theory, not a finding, and it names no individual.
A killing by someone in their circle, known to others
- They were asleep. Shot at night.
- More than one person may know. The AG said so.
- The case stalled. Leads were exhausted.
- Silence is the barrier. A reward may change that.
Judgment, not statistics.
Missing links
Questions raised by gaps in the public record.
1. The weapon
Whether it was found.
2. The witnesses
The people who may know the killer.
3. The motive
Why the couple.
4. The scene
Forensic evidence and its retention.
5. A reward
None found; one could help.
6. BCI's review
What the state concluded.
Evidence gaps
"Not public" means we could not find a report.
| Item | Tested | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Scene evidence | Collected. | Results: not public. |
| Interviews | Many. | Not public. |
| Sheriff's file | Pike County. | Public index: not available. |
Forensic tech
| Tool | What it could do | Status here |
|---|---|---|
| DNA from retained evidence | Identify a donor or exclude people. | Unknown; not reported |
| Forensic genetic genealogy | Identify an unknown donor from relatives. | Needs usable DNA; none reported |
| Ballistics database (NIBIN) | Link recovered casings or bullets to other crimes. | Not reported |
Solved cases
Local cases that moved after decades.
Carol Sue Klaber (Boone County, KY, 1976)
Investigators say a private genealogy investigation helped them identify Thomas Dunaway, who died in 1990, as the man who killed the 16-year-old. He cannot be indicted, so prosecutors sent a letter saying he would have been charged. The lesson: genealogy can name a killer after decades, even when no trial is possible.
Forensic genetic genealogy training
In 2024, local investigators were being trained in the technique, which has already helped solve Cincinnati-area cases, according to FOX19. The lesson: the tool is now local, so cases with usable DNA have a real path forward.
Golden State Killer
Old crime-scene DNA matched relatives in a public database and led to a 2018 arrest. The lesson: a usable sample can still work after decades.
Case details come from public news coverage and the Boone County Sheriff's cold-case list. Confirm in court records.
False leads
| Claim | Source and date | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| A hidden-evidence theory | FOX19 and podcasts | Unconfirmed accounts of evidence at a friend's home or a well. Not verified. |
| A link to other Pike County killings | Online speculation | The Rhoden family case was solved by convictions; do not confuse them. |
Where
The home was on Hopper Road in Piketon, Pike County, in southern Ohio.
Open in maps: Hopper Road, Piketon. We show no photograph of the scene.
Source ratings
| Source | Type | Rating | Use with care because |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General listing, case 64 | Agency | A | Brief. |
| WOUB, Dec 4, 2012 | Public radio | B+ | Seen in search results; not opened. |
| NBC News Dateline | National news | B | Seen in search results; not opened. |
| Podcasts | Media | D | Unconfirmed claims. We did not rely on them. |
Records
Pike County Sheriff's Office
Lead local agency.
Ohio Attorney General (BCI)
Tips: 855-224-6446 (as reported).
Pike County Prosecutor
Charging decisions.
Sample public-records request
Under the Ohio Public Records Act, I request copies of non-exempt records relating to the December 9, 2006 homicides of Curtis Francis and Jennifer Burgette at 124 Hopper Road, Piketon, including incident reports, laboratory reports, and any evidence inventory. Please send electronic copies. If any part is withheld, please identify the exemption relied on and release all reasonably segregable material.
Agencies often withhold records of open investigations, so expect partial answers.
Remembering the victims
Curtis was 34 and Jennifer was 30. Curtis's brother has pressed for answers.
News & databases
In the news
Loading headlines…
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Where they disagree, we say so above.
- Curtis Francis and Jennifer Burgette, Unsolved Homicide, Ohio Attorney General (case 64; photo).
- Ohio AG seeks leads in Piketon double murder, WOUB, Dec 4, 2012 (seen in search results; not opened).
- Family frustrated with lack of answers in unsolved Hopper Road double murder, NBC News Dateline (seen in search results; not opened).
Quotes from DeWine and the sheriff come from search summaries. We found no reward and no arrest. The Rhoden family killings in the same county were solved by convictions and are not part of this file.
Change log
- Oct 8, 2026: File published.