Photography fundraiser held for funeral of Morehead double homicide victims

MOREHEAD, Ky. (FOX 56) — When the news broke that 13-year-old Kennedi McWhorter and her mother, Kayla Blake, were killed in their Morehead home on Sept. 19, it left many people in shock.

“Nobody deserves their life taken that way. No child, no adult, no one. And it’s very tragic what happened,” said Kristy Thornsberry, a Morehead resident.

Amid that shock and devastation, many people like Thornsberry and her daughter Kinsley, a classmate of Kennedi’s, had the same immediate thought.

“My daughter actually was like, ‘Mom, we got to help.’ And I said, ‘Okay, let’s help,’” said Thornsberry.

So, she turned to photography. Thornsberry said it’s just a hobby, but it’s something she knew people would participate in.

“That’s the only thing that I could think of that I could do to get money quickly is pay what you want to donate. Which means they’re not paying me, they are paying whatever they want to donate to the funeral of Kennedi,” she explained.

Thornsberry told FOX 56 that people can donate any amount of money either directly to her through a secure PayPal account or directly to Malone Funeral Home, where Kennedi’s funeral is, and provide proof of the donation. In exchange, she will do a 15-20 minute photoshoot session, free of charge.

Thornsberry assured that all donations given to her will go directly to the funeral home.

She said she’s already made a sizable payment toward Kennedi’s funeral using donations that have come in, and more continue to arrive.

But for her, helping out a family after a tragedy as unthinkable as this isn’t just the right thing to do. In a way, it’s personal.

“We often don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. I grew up in a home that was not always a safe place. So if I can help honor a child who lost their life way too soon, then that’s what I want to do,” Thornsberry said.

She won’t turn anyone away as long as they donate up front so the funeral can be paid for. That means even if the fall photo setup she’s offering now turns into a Christmas scene, she’ll be ready.

“You can never have too many pictures. Everything is covered. My kids get so sick of ‘Hey, let’s go take pictures.’ But one day, that’s all you’re going to have left,” she said.

Thornsberry said any extra funds after the funeral are paid for will go toward a headstone and other expenses.

She encourages anyone interested in donating to contact her on Facebook.