Marly Kinney found dead at Grayson Lake in Kentucky: What we know

A 19-year-old Ashland woman who went missing while boating on Grayson Lake was found dead Sunday after a four-day search. The boat’s operator faces a charge of operating a watercraft while intoxicated, according to investigators, and a fundraiser for Kinney’s family has raised more than $10,000.

Here are key things to know:

• Kinney was last seen Wednesday afternoon and was reported missing after she did not return with a group of friends on a rented pontoon boat.
• The multi-agency search drew about 50 volunteers along with Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats and K9 teams, plus crews from the Lexington and Ashland fire departments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and several county emergency agencies.
• Kinney’s body was recovered around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at Grayson Lake in Carter County, with her cause of death pending an autopsy at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed.
• A GoFundMe created by Kinney’s sister, Willow VanHoose, has raised more than $10,000 for funeral costs and family needs, just over half of its total goal as of Monday afternoon.
• Kentucky State Police charged Cameron Conley, 23, of Ashland with operating a boat while intoxicated after he told staff at Grayson Lake Marina he was “unable to locate a female passenger on the boat he was operating.”
• Conley consented to a breath test that showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.137, and he was released on his own recognizance with an arraignment scheduled for July 22.
• Smokin’ J’s Rib and Brewhouse, the Ashland restaurant where Kinney worked, called her a “model employee” and closed Monday to let staff grieve, saying she was loved by co-workers and friends who had been volunteering in the search.

The summary points above are based on the reporting of Herald-Leader journalists. The roundup was produced with the assistance of AI. Herald-Leader reporters and an editor reviewed this story for accuracy. You can read more about our AI policy here.