SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH — Springfield Township police say an 18-year-old is in custody after a man was found dead inside a home following a call about an intrusion alarm. Officers were sent to the 760 block of South Meadow Circle, where they discovered the victim inside the residence.

Police later identified the man as Rodney Gray, 66, of Springfield Township. Investigators say Gray died in what they are treating as a shooting death.

Authorities also announced that Caedan Hotchkiss, 18, of Cincinnati, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with Gray’s death.

Officers responded to an intrusion alarm on South Meadow Circle

According to Springfield Township police, the first call involved an intrusion alarm at a home in the 760 block of South Meadow Circle. The department did not release the exact time officers were dispatched or when the initial report came in.

When officers arrived, they found a man inside the residence who was already dead. Police have not said whether the home showed signs of forced entry or what circumstances led officers to believe a shooting had occurred.

The case appears to have quickly shifted from a routine alarm response to a homicide investigation once officers entered the home and saw the victim.

Rodney Gray identified as the victim in the case

Authorities said the dead man was Rodney Gray, a 66-year-old Springfield Township resident. Police released his name after notifying the appropriate people, but they have not shared additional details about his relationship to the suspect or whether the two knew each other.

No other information about Gray’s final moments has been made public. Investigators have also not described any possible motive for the killing.

In cases like this, police typically continue gathering evidence from the scene, interviewing witnesses and reviewing any physical or digital evidence that may help establish what happened before officers were called.

Eighteen-year-old from Cincinnati faces a murder charge

Police say the suspect is Caedan Hotchkiss, 18, of Cincinnati. He has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with Gray’s death.

Authorities did not immediately say where Hotchkiss was taken into custody or whether additional charges may follow. Police also have not released information about an attorney for Hotchkiss or when he might appear in court.

The identification of a young suspect has drawn attention because the alleged crime happened in a quiet residential area and involved an older victim found inside his home.

Investigators have released few details about how the shooting unfolded

For now, Springfield Township police have kept many of the circumstances around the killing private. They have not said what type of weapon was used, whether anyone else was present in the house, or whether the shooting happened during a break-in or another type of encounter.

The department also has not explained how detectives connected Hotchkiss to the death. Those unanswered questions leave the timeline of the incident incomplete, even as an arrest has already been made.

Police press releases often withhold some facts early in a homicide case while investigators work to verify evidence and protect the integrity of the case. In this instance, officials have offered only the basic facts about the call, the discovery of the body and the arrest.

Police ask anyone with information to contact detectives

Springfield Township police are still seeking help from the public as they continue the investigation. Anyone with information about Rodney Gray’s death is being asked to call the department at (513) 729-1300.

That request suggests detectives are still trying to fill in gaps about what happened inside the home and whether anyone saw or heard anything before officers arrived. Public tips can be important in cases where investigators need witness accounts or leads that are not captured in initial responding reports.

Police have not announced any broader threat to the community, but the case remains active as detectives work through the evidence tied to the fatal shooting.