Officials find body of 19-year-old woman who went missing at Kentucky lake
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- Officials found 19-year-old Marly Kinney's body at Grayson Lake on June 28.
- Kentucky State Police charged 23-year-old Cameron Conley with boating while intoxicated.
- Kinney’s body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
A 19-year-old woman who had been missing for four days after boating on Grayson Lake was found dead Sunday, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Officials found Marly Kinney’s body around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at Grayson Lake in Carter County. The fish and wildlife department said Kinney’s cause of death has not been determined, and her body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.
Kinney, of Ashland, was last seen at the lake on Wednesday afternoon. The fish and wildlife department said she was reported missing after she did not return with a group of friends on a rented pontoon boat.
Kentucky State Police charged Cameron Conley, 23 of Ashland, with operating a boat or watercraft while intoxicated or under the influence. Conley told staff at Grayson Lake Marina that he was “unable to locate a female passenger on the boat he was operating,” which prompted a police response, court documents say.
While talking to Conley at the marina on Wednesday, state police said they smelled alcohol and noticed that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. He admitted to consuming alcohol and consented to a breath alcohol test, which revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.137.
Conley took another test at the Carter County Detention Center and had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.137. Court records indicate he was released on his own recognizance the same day and is scheduled for arraignment July 22.
The fish and wildlife department said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement at 800-253-5378 or State Police Post 14 at 606-928-6421.
Smokin’ J’s Rib and Brewhouse, a restaurant in Ashland that employed Kinney, said she was a “model employee” and loved by everyone that knew her. The restaurant will be closed Monday to allow employees time to grieve.
“Always with a friendly smile and a kind word,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post. “She was loved by her fellow co-workers and friends, many who have been volunteering over these last few days.”
The search for Kinney took place on the water and shoreline of the lake. The fish and wildlife department said several local and state agencies, including the Lexington Fire Department, participated in the search along with more than 50 local volunteers.
