KY mother, teen daughter found dead in Rowan County were stabbed to death
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Court documents confirm Kayla Blake and Kennedi McWhorter died by stabbing.
- Joshua Cottrell faces murder charges and is held on a $1 million bond.
- Cottrell, previously convicted in 2005, allegedly had blood on his clothes upon arrest.
The Kentucky mom and daughter who were found dead in a Rowan County home Friday were stabbed to death, according to court documents.
Kayla Blake, 37, and her 13-year-old daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, were discovered after a coworker went to check on Blake because she hadn’t shown up to work the morning of Sept. 19, according to the Rowan County coroner’s office.
Joshua Cottrell, 44, is charged with two counts of murder for their deaths. Investigators have not indicated a potential motive.
Court documents state Blake was stabbed in the head and McWhorter in the throat. Blake was found in a bedroom, while her daughter was found across the hall.
Cottrell allegedly moved their bodies, according to the documents. He is charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Coroner John Northcutt said the victims were found at a residence on Spring Street in Morehead. Cottrell’s listed address on his arrest citation is on Spring Street.
Investigators spoke to neighbors and confirmed Cottrell was at the residence the day before the bodies were found, according to court documents. Cottrell allegedly had blood on his clothes when authorities located him at a hospital in the Paducah area.
After he was treated and released from the hospital, Cottrell was taken to the McCracken County Jail, where he is being held on a $1 million bond.
It is unclear whether Cottrell has an attorney.
The Rowan County charges come about 20 years after Cottrell was convicted of manslaughter in the death of 36-year-old Richie Phillips. Cottrell told the jury he killed Phillips in self-defense after Phillips made unwanted sexual advances toward him at an Elizabethtown motel room and a fight broke out.
A jury deliberated nearly nine hours before finding Cottrell guilty of second-degree manslaughter, the lesser of the charges he faced. The jury also found him guilty of theft by unlawful taking of more than $300 and tampering with physical evidence, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
He was paroled after 2 1/2 years.
