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 Aggravated Murder, while McDaniel faces a charge of Abuse of a Corpse. The charges remain pending presentation to the Fairfield County Grand Jury.
The Lancaster Police Detective Bureau, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate.
