Inset left: Kyle Long (Tri-County Regional Jail). Inset right: Rachel Long (Obituary). Background: The area near where Rachel Long died in London, Ohio (Google Maps).
An Ohio man is behind bars for killing his wife in a relentless stabbing he tried to pass off as suicide, Buckeye State law enforcement says.
Kyle Long, 35, stands accused of one count of murder in connection with the death of 32-year-old Rachel Long, according to the Madison County Sheriff”s Office.
The underlying incident occurred in October 2025 at a residence on State Route 187 in London, a small town located 25 miles southwest of Columbus.
On Oct. 23, 2025, deputies arrived at the couple’s house in response to a reported suicide. The defendant had earlier told a dispatcher his wife had stabbed herself several times inside the residence, according to a 911 call obtained by Columbus-based CBS affiliate WBNS.
“My wife just stabbed herself there’s no pulse, blood all over the place,” the man says in the audio recording.
Kyle Long would later tell police he was in another room when the purported suicide occurred, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Columbus-based ABC station WSYX.
The defendant told investigators he was watching TV in another room when his wife went into their bedroom, according to police. Then, the man said he heard laughter followed by screams, according to the charging document. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, Rachel Long was stabbing herself in the face and neck, her husband allegedly told police.
At the scene, the defendant also allegedly said his wife was seeking a “separation from marriage,” according to the complaint.
The accused husband’s narrative would soon shift, authorities allege.
Detectives say the defendant’s answers during an interview conflicted with his initial comments to police on the scene. The man’s story also allegedly did not align with other evidence.
An autopsy determined Rachel Long suffered numerous “defensive-type wounds” on both hands – and a sum total of 17 sharp-force injuries, according to law enforcement. Kyle Long, however, allegedly said he only saw his wife holding the knife with her right hand.
Kyle Long also called 911 once and hung up — calling again four minutes later, authorities allege. This order of events is allegedly inconsistent with what the defendant originally told investigators.
“Ever since we responded to the residence up there, investigated this as suspicious from the beginning, Mr. Long was the only person in the residence,” Madison County Sheriff John Swaney told WSYX. “We had to make sure—all agencies involved—we got those reports back, and put all the evidence back, and that they all align.”
There were also other clues, authorities said.
Immediately prior to the violence, the victim was texting with a friend about what clothes to wear to a concert they planned on attending together, according to the complaint. In those messages, Rachel Long did not appear upset or suicidal, authorities say.
Investigators later spoke with that friend, who confirmed the victim’s plans to leave her marriage.
One of Rachel Long’s childhood friends is now speaking to various local media outlets about the woman’s life and untimely death.
The friend told WSYX that killing herself “was not Rachel, this is not the way she would have handled a situation in her life, just not her.”
In comments to WBNS, the same friend confirmed the victim, who had two children, had planned to leave her husband and was optimistic about the future.
“We knew that she was excited to leave,” the friend continued. “She was making new relationships and friendships and looking forward to a new adventure as a solo single mom.”
On Wednesday, Kyle Long was arrested during a traffic stop after the Madison County coroner changed the woman’s manner of death to “homicide,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The mother of two was beloved in the community as the owner and operator of Pawfect Pups Grooming in downtown London.
“I am gonna miss experiencing her as a mother because we have children that are the same exact age, and a lot of the things I am going through, she was going through,” the slain woman’s friend added in comments to WBNS. “A lot of people got to firsthand experience her kindness, so it is nice to know she touched the community in so many ways by caring for their animals and getting to know everybody.”
On Friday, Kyle Long appeared in court for his arraignment where he was assessed $1.5 million bond. He is currently detained in the Tri-County Regional Jail. The defendant maintains his innocence.
“It is a horribly tragic event in which he bears no responsibility, only sorrow,” Sam Shamansky, Kyle Long’s attorney, told WBNS.
