Bodies of three females were found dead on Sunday, June 11, at 11489 Ridge Road, just north of Wallings Road. A 911 call came in at 7:58 p.m. Suzanne Taylor, 45, was found with her daughters, Taylor Pifer, 21, and Kylie Pifer, 19, in a bedroom, according to North Royalton Police Detective David Loeding. Earlier in the investigation, he said that the mother suffered knife wounds, but it wasn’t clear how the other two died. A knife was not found at the scene, according to Loeding.
The boyfriend of one of the daughters said he came to residence to check up on his girlfriend, because he didn’t hear from her since the day before. He called the mother’s boyfriend, who advised him to go into the house to check it out. He entered the house and then told him “there’s a body in here.” The mother’s boyfriend then called 911. Police and firefighters responded and found the three women dead in Suzanne Taylor’s bedroom The three women were lying together, face down, in the bed, according to the police report.
A 45-year-old North Canton man, who was reportedly a friend of the family, became a person of interest. On Tuesday, June 13, the man was taken into custody after an overnight standoff in a Brunswick home. During the investigation police reportedly found clues linking the man to the murder of a Rogell Eugene John, 71, and wife Roberta Ray, 64. They were allegedly shot to death in their home in Lake Township either Sunday or Monday.
The man has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder, three counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with evidence, allegedly for removing the knife, for the North Royalton murders. He appeared in Parma Municipal Court on Thursday, June 15, for his arraignment in front of Judge Timothy Gilligan. He is accused to slitting the throat of Suzanne Taylor, strangling Kylie Pifer with a telephone cord and smothering Taylor Pifer, said Gilligan. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing, and the case was bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Gilligan set bond at $25 million for each of the three women, totaling $75 million.
Gilligan said that the potential penalty for the charge of aggravated murder is death, life without parole and various degrees of life with parole. For the first degree felony of kidnapping, the potential penalties are ten years in prison and or $25,000. For the charge of tampering with evidence, the potential penalty is five years in prison and/or $10,000.
Suzanne Taylor was an Administrator at REO Property Consultants. Taylor was studying Fashion Design at Kent State University. Kylie attended Bowling Green University.
“On June 11, two former students of the North Royalton City School District, along with their mother, tragically lost their lives. Taylor Pifer was a 2014 graduate and Kylie Pifer was a 2016 graduate. We mourn today, as a community, and extend our deepest sympathy to their family and friends,” said North Royalton School Superintendent, Greg Gurka. Counselors were provided to students and staff. A memorial service was held in front of the North Royalton High School on the evening of Wednesday, June 14. About 200 people attended.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer