ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. ( WKYT /Gray News) - A mother and daughter in Kentucky are dead in an apparent double murder, according to authorities.

The Rowan County Coroner’s Office says police received a 911 call around 11 a.m. on Friday from a person who performed a welfare check on a coworker who did not report to work that morning.

Officials arrived at the scene and discovered the bodies of 37-year-old Kayla Blake and her daughter, 13-year-old Kennedi McWhorter.

Kentucky State Police’s initial investigation determined the suspect to be 44-year-old Joshua W. Cottrell.

KSP says troopers located Cottrell at a hospital at around 2 p.m. that same day.

He was treated, released and charged with two counts of murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence.

He’s currently being held at

See Full Page