UPDATE: What we know about Kent State student Taylor Pifer’s death

Photo of Taylor Pifer (right) with her friend, Kayla Lombardo (left).

KentWired Staff

Kent State junior fashion design major Taylor Pifer, her sister Kylie Pifer, and their mother Suzanne Taylor, were found dead in their home at 11489 Ridge Rd. in North Royalton Sunday night.

Suspect charged in North Royalton

George Brinkman, Jr. was charged Wednesday with three counts of aggravated murder, three counts of kidnapping and one count of tampering with evidence by the North Royalton Police Department.

According to the incident report from the police, Officer Stephanie Thomas responded to the house in North Royalton Sunday at 7:57 p.m. and entered the first floor bedroom. She found the three women dead and lying next to each other face down on the same bed. Their bodies were cold to the touch — the North Royalton Fire Department arrived a few minutes later and verified the women were dead.

Funeral and Vigil

  • A vigil will be held at North Royalton High School at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 for Taylor and Kylie Pifer.

  • Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 16 at Cuyahoga Valley Church, 5055 E. Wallings Rd. in Broadview Heights for Taylor and Kylie.

  • The burial will be private, but will receive friends on June 15 from 3-8 p.m. at the A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home, 18149 Bagley Rd. in Middleburg Heights.

  • Suzanne Taylor’s funeral will be Saturday, June 17, also at A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home. Family will receive friends Saturday from 10-11 a.m. at the funeral home.

Details about the five homicides in North Royalton, Lake Township

  • Taylor and Kylie’s father, Brian Pifer, released a statement Tuesday evening:

“We have all suffered a great loss. Taylor and Kylie were deeply loved – not only by me, but by our families and so many friends.  We are absolutely devastated. Taylor and Kylie were beautiful, strong, intelligent young women. I was so proud of both of them – they had bright futures ahead of them, before their lives were so cruelly ended. I am relieved that an arrest has been made so quickly. I sincerely thank all of the law enforcement and investigators for helping to bring a measure of closure. We ask that everyone respect our privacy as we get through this unbearably difficult time.”

  • Taylor Pifer was a manager at the Fashion School Store in downtown Kent. Kylie Pifer, who studied biology, recently finished her freshman year at Bowling Green State University.

  • Suzanne’s boyfriend, Scott Plymale, said in the 911 call that Dale Kostar, Taylor’s boyfriend, entered the house and saw a body. “My girlfriend’s daughter’s boyfriend is in the house,” Plymale said in the call. “Taylor’s boyfriend, Dale. The bedroom door was closed, he opened the bedroom door, and said ‘There’s a body in there.’ ”

  • Plymale said he then ended the call with Kostar and dialed 911.

  • Plymale brought flowers to the house on Friday and left them for his girlfriend, Suzanne, around 4:30 p.m. because no one appeared to be home. He spoke to her on the phone earlier that day, just after 3 p.m. 
  • Stark County Sheriff George Maier identified 45-year-old George Brinkman Jr. as a suspect in the triple homicide. After an overnight standoff with Brunswick Police, Brinkman was taken into custody Tuesday morning.

  • Stark County issued murder warrants for Brinkman’s arrest Tuesday morning. Brinkman is charged in the deaths of a married couple in Lake Township – Rogell Eugene John, 71, and Roberta Ray John, 64.

  • The couple’s son found their bodies Monday after driving from his home in Mount Vernon, Ohio to check on them because his father hadn’t shown up for work. He found the couple in their bedroom and called 911.

  • Brinkman had dated the John’s daughter and also worked for Rogell John.

  • The deaths of the couple came after the deaths in North Royalton, Maier determined.

  • Autopsies were scheduled for Tuesday for the North Royalton victims.

Brinkman’s criminal past in Cuyahoga County

  • Brinkman plead guilty in November of 1998 to two charges of receiving stolen property.

  • At the same time in a different case, he plead guilty to a charge of unauthorized access of a computer system and another charge of receiving stolen property.

  • He was jailed from October 18, 1999 to March 2, 2000.

  • In December of 1999, he was indicted on charges of forgery, passing forged documents, receiving stolen property and theft.  

  • In February of 2000, he plead guilty to forgery, receiving stolen property and theft.

  • Brinkman was paroled in September of 2000.