The Rowan County Coroner’s Office said Morehead police were asked around 11 a.m. to perform a welfare check on a co-worker who didn’t show up for work.
Kentucky State Police said the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) performed a welfare check at 10:15 a.m. at a home on South Spring Street in Morehead.
First responders reportedly discovered two deceased individuals and requested the Rowan County Coroner’s Office to respond.
Rowan County Coroner John P. Northcutt pronounced 37-year-old Kayla Blake and her daughter, 13-year-old Kennedi McWhorter, dead at the scene.
The coroner’s office said a person of interest was arrested in western Kentucky.
At 6:24 p.m. Friday, Kentucky State Police said 44-year-old Joshua W. Cottrell, of Morehead, had been arrested in connection with both deaths.
According to a news release, Cottrell was located at a Paducah area hospital at 2:00 p.m. After his treatment, he was charged with two counts of murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence.
He was booked into the McCracken County Jail.
Blacke and McWhorter’s deaths are being investigated as a double homicide by Northcutt and the Kentucky State Police.
The coroner’s office said the scene was still active as of 4:58 p.m.
The investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 56 News for updates.
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