GA homicide suspect dies after police pursuit along I-64 in KY ends in crash
An Indiana man who was a suspect in a Georgia homicide is believed to be the person who died after crashing during a police pursuit on the interstate in Central Kentucky Saturday morning.
The Dalton Police Department in Georgia said in a news release it was investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a burning house early Saturday as a case of homicide and arson. Fire crews were called to a fire at a home at 313 S. Grimes St. at 5:47 a.m. that morning, police there said.
“Firefighters discovered the badly burned body of the victim inside of the house while searching the structure,” and because of the “suspicious nature of the death” police were called, a news release stated.
While Dalton police were at the scene of the house fire, they said a woman reported her brother had confessed to her that he had killed his girlfriend, who lived at the home on Grimes Street.
Dalton police said they had already identified the woman’s brother, an Indiana man, as a person of interest in the case.
The victim’s car was missing from her Georgia home when police arrived, and “the vehicle’s information and license plate were entered into a national database as stolen.”
Kentucky State Police said that agency and the Berea Police Department tried to initiate a traffic stop on a gray Honda Civic that matched the description of that vehicle Saturday morning.
The driver refused to yield and continued north on Interstate 75, sometimes reaching speeds of 100 mph or more as law enforcement pursued, KSP said in a news release.
The pursuit continued onto westbound Interstate 64, where state police said troopers from the Frankfort post joined the chase.
“Numerous attempts were made to end the pursuit using tire deflation devices,” KSP said in the release. “The suspect lost control of his vehicle at approximately the 50-mile marker, crossing the median and striking a commercial motor vehicle traveling eastbound.”
The driver of the commercial vehicle was not hurt, but the driver of the Honda Civic, identified as 30-year-old, Ryan M. Ebler of Martinsville, Indiana, died at the scene.
From a postmortem examination at the scene, Ebler’ss death was consistent with the crash, said Franklin County Coroner William Harrod.
An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday morning with the final results being available in 14 to 16 weeks.
The crash and cause and manner of death are continuing to be investigated by the Kentucky State Police and The Franklin County Coroner’s Office, according to Harrod.
Dalton police said they think they know the identity of the woman who was found in the burning home in Georgia, but they were waiting for confirmation by the medical examiner and notification of the woman’s next of kin.
The crash happened at 9:16 a.m., Kentucky State Police said.
This story was originally published January 10, 2026 at 9:57 PM.
