(MOREHEAD, Ky.) – A 44-year-old Morehead man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of a woman and her teenage daughter, following a welfare check that turned into a double homicide investigation Friday morning.
Kentucky State Police announced that Joshua W. Cottrell has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence in the deaths of Kayla D. Blake, 37, and her 13-year-old daughter Kennedi McWhorter, both of Morehead.
The investigation began when the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check at a residence on South Spring Street in Morehead shortly after 9:15 a.m. CDT. Deputies who arrived at the scene discovered two victims deceased inside the home and immediately requested assistance from Kentucky State Police Post 8 investigators.
Following an initial investigation, KSP Post 8 detectives identified Cottrell as the suspect in the double homicide. Law enforcement agencies launched a search that ended when KSP Post 1 Mayfield troopers and local police located Cottrell at a Paducah area hospital at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
Cottrell was treated and released from the hospital before being taken into custody. He is currently being held at the McCracken County Jail.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, with Kentucky State Police indicating that additional details will be released as they become available. KSP thanked the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and Paducah Police Department for their assistance in the case.
No additional information about the relationship between the suspect and victims or the circumstances surrounding the deaths has been released at this time.