Man charged with double murder after mother and daughter found dead in home on quiet street

['Conrad Hoyt', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] Law & Crime 2025-09-20 19:25:52

A mother and daughter in Kentucky are dead in an apparent double murder, and authorities believe they have the man who did it in custody. Joshua Cottrell, 44, has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of 37-year-old Kayla Blake, and her 13-year-old daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, the Kentucky State Police said. Both Blake and her daughter were pronounced dead. The man was in a hospital in the area of Paducah, Kentucky, more than 300 miles west. "My daughter played softball with her a couple times," he added, describing Blake as a "really, really sweet lady."