Updated: Lexington woman charged with murder 1 year after investigators find body wrapped in plastic
Lexington police have arrested a suspect accused of killing a 40-year-old man, wrapping him in plastic and dumping him near a dumpster on Cambridge Drive a little over one year ago.
Jennifer Kashuba, 35, was arrested Monday in the case, according to Lexington police. She was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center just after 3 p.m. Monday on charges of murder, evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse, according to jail records.
On Feb, 17, 2022, police received a report that a dead body was found near a dumpster wrapped in plastic in the 2000 block of Cambridge Drive. The body was found and it was determined the victim died via homicide.
Kashuba’s arrest citation says the victim was stabbed in the chest once. Kashuba was determined to be the suspect and she admitted to the stabbing after her arrest, court records say.
Police said the coroner’s office will release the identity of the victim, but court records reviewed by the Herald-Leader indicated the victim’s name was Jimmy Medlock. Medlock was living in an apartment with Kashuba, according to a criminal complaint filed by an investigator.
Wednesday afternoon, the Fayette County coroner’s office confirmed the body was Medlock, who died of a stab wound to the thorax.
“The breaking moment of this case was when Ortham DNA Laboratory was able to provide us with a name of a possible person who had not been listed as missing or deceased,” the coroner’s press release said. “Once we received this information, Robbery Homicide was able to track the DNA sample of the deceased from a previous out of state arrest.”
Court documents indicate that the two had gotten the apartment through the Community Action Council, and on Sept. 14, Kashuba told the CAC that Medlock left the residence for good.
Investigators later conducted a search at the apartment once shared by Kashuba and Medlock and found decomposed human remains in the front closet of the living room, according to court documents. Court records indicate that a family living at the apartment was complaining about the smell and said children were getting sick, but the remains were initially believed to be mold. It’s unclear if Kashuba was living there at the time, but court records indicate her address has changed.
Police declined to provide further comment on the incident, citing an ongoing investigation.
In June, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn told the Herald-Leader his office was having trouble identifying the victim. The individual’s DNA had been tested, including a test at the Kentucky State Police lab, but officials hadn’t found a positive match.
The body was partially decomposed when officials found it, which made the investigation more difficult.
According to court records, Ginn told investigators that “he believed the victim had been deceased for several months.”
Police had asked the public to report any unusual activity witnessed in the area within the previous six months at the time of the discovery.
Ginn said the autopsy revealed several facts about the case, but that information was withheld to protect the integrity of the investigation.
“We aren’t releasing the actual cause of death because whoever took this person’s life knows how they did it, and that’s a crucial part of this investigation,” Ginn said at the time.
Kashuba will make her first court appearance Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 6:56 AM.
