$10K raised for family of 19-year-old found dead in Kentucky lake
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- An online GoFundMe has raised more than $10,000 for Marly Kinney’s family.
- Marly Kinney, 19, was found June 28 at Grayson Lake after a four-day search.
- Kentucky State Police charged 23-year-old Cameron Conley with boating under the influence.
An online fundraiser for the family of the 19-year-old Eastern Kentucky woman who was found dead at Grayson Lake has raised more than $10,000.
Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was found dead Sunday, June 28, at Grayson Lake in Carter County. She was reported missing Wednesday afternoon after she did not return with a group of friends on a rented pontoon boat.
Several agencies and volunteers searched for Kinney for four days before finding her body Sunday. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Department said her 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’s sister, Willow VanHoose, has created a GoFundMe webpage to raise money for her sister’s funeral and family needs. As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, the fundraiser has raised more than $10,000, just over half of the fundraiser’s total goal.
“We thank everyone who donates, anyone who even just shares, and everyone just supporting us through this time,” VanHoose said on the fundraiser’s webpage.
Kentucky State Police charged Cameron Conley, 23 of Ashland, with operating a boat or watercraft while intoxicated or under the influence in connection with the incident. He told police he drank alcohol and consented to a breath alcohol test, which revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.137.
The fish and wildlife department said the investigation into Kinney’s death is ongoing. Court records indicate Conley was released from custody on his own recognizance and is scheduled for arraignment July 22.
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.”
