A Morehead mother and her 13-year-old daughter were found murdered in their home late Friday morning, prompting a double-homicide investigation that led police on a search across Kentucky. A suspect was arrested hours later at a hospital nearly 320 miles away in Paducah, according to Kentucky State Police (KSP) officials.
Victims Discovered in Morehead
Rowan County deputies and Morehead city police were called to a residence on South Spring Street in Morehead for a welfare check after Kayla D. Blake, 37, failed to show up for work Friday. Shortly after arriving, first responders made a grim discovery: Blake and her 13-year-old daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, were found dead inside the home. Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt pronounced both the mother and daughter dead at the scene, and authorities confirmed they were victims of an apparent double homicide.
Investigators with KSP Post 8 (Morehead) were requested to take over the case once the two bodies were found. Police have not released details about how the victims were killed, but multiple law enforcement agencies converged on the scene. Forensic specialists from the KSP Eastern Crime Lab were processing evidence at the house Friday afternoon as the investigation unfolded. Officers stressed that this appeared to be an isolated incident, and by Friday evening officials said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Suspect Arrested in Paducah
KSP quickly identified Joshua W. Cottrell, 44, of Morehead, as the primary suspect in the killings. Authorities alerted law enforcement across the state to be on the lookout for Cottrell. At approximately 2:00 p.m. Eastern time — just a few hours after the victims were discovered — KSP troopers from Post 1 (Mayfield) and local officers tracked Cottrell down at a hospital in the Paducah area of McCracken County.
Police have not yet explained why Cottrell was at the hospital. He was taken into custody without incident after being medically evaluated and released by hospital staff. Cottrell has since been charged with two counts of murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence. As of Friday evening, he is lodged at the McCracken County Jail in Paducah to await further legal proceedings.
The investigation remains ongoing, and Kentucky State Police say they are still working to determine the circumstances and motive behind the double homicide. State police officials expressed their gratitude to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and the Paducah Police Department for assisting in the swift apprehension of the suspect. Further details, including autopsy results and any connection between Cottrell and the victims, have not yet been released as authorities continue to gather evidence. For now, a community is left mourning the loss of a mother and daughter as justice begins to take its course.
