Fourth body found, home searched in Ohio County shooting

James Mayse, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

May 21—The investigation into Wednesday's fatal shooting of three people in Ohio County led to the discovery Thursday of a fourth body in a burned structure near the home.

Little has been released about the incident, which was reported at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when sheriff's deputies were called to the home in the 5700 block of U.S. 62 West in McHenry. When law enforcement arrived, they found the bodies of two men and a woman with gunshot wounds outside the home, and a barn on fire.

Trooper Corey King, public affairs officer for the Kentucky State Police, said Thursday the fourth body was found inside a barn, which also contained living quarters.

Because of the fire and the damage to the body, the sex of the fourth person had not yet been determined.

All of the victims have been transported to the state medical examiner's office in Madisonville and none have yet been identified. King said the plan is to release the names of the victims on Friday after their identities have been confirmed by the medical examiner.

Shotgun shell casings were found on the property, but it hasn't yet been determined if they are connected to the shootings, King said. A search warrant of the house was served Thursday.

"There was obviously firearms and ammunition" in the home, but that wouldn't necessarily be considered uncommon, King said.

"At this point, we are trying to determine if any (of the firearms) were involved," he said.

Detectives have not determined what led to the incident, King said.

When asked if detectives were actively seeking anyone in connection with the shootings, King said early Thursday, "We aren't right now, but we aren't ruling it out.

"We still haven't established a motive or a working theory," King said. "We are trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. We are not ruling (eventually seeking a suspect) out, but we are not ruling out murder-suicide either."

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse

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