Officials have released audio extracts from 911 calls made after eight family members were killed in Ohio during the week.

Police in America, allegedly believe that these were targeted killings at four separate homes in a rural region of Ohio.

An infant and two other children were also in the homes when the attacks took place, but were not harmed, according to reports. Following the fatalities, local police urged relatives of the victims to take precautions while investigators continue to hunt for suspects.

The exact timing of the shootings remains unclear, and the gunman or gunmen remain at large.

In one call, a frantic female voice describes the horrific scene inside one of four homes where the killings took place, to an emergency dispatcher.

"There is blood all over the house. My brother-in-law is in the bedroom. Looks like someone has beat the hell out of him."

In a separate 911 call, a relative of one victim has an exchange with the responder:

"I just found my cousin with a gunshot wound."

"Is he alive?" the dispatcher asks.

"No, no," the man responds.

It is believed that the first emergency call arrived shortly before 8am on Friday, with the second call reportedly coming in several hours later from a different location. 

A local outdoors shop owner said at least one customer came in to stock up on ammunition after the shootings.