A young eastern Kentucky girl has been found shot to death and her father is hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, on Thursday morning at approximately 11:00, deputies responded to a “reported assault” in the Van Lear community. Upon arriving, police found that Stacy Collins had a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to Highlands Appalachian Regional Hospital.
“Extending from the initial investigation, deputies discovered that Mr. Collins’ 12-year-old daughter (Stacia Leigh Collins) was missing,” the sheriff’s office said.
A wide-ranging search for the Porter Elementary School sixth grader resulted in her body being found at around 5:30 Thursday evening in a “very, very remote” area of Johnson County, Coroner J.R. Frisby told news outlets. She had suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
Her body was transported to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.
Stacy Collins remains hospitalized.
The investigation is ongoing.
(Photo: Stacia Leigh Collins, courtesy of the Johnson Co. Sheriff’s Office)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
