KSP Investigating Deadly Shooting in Leslie County
Detective Chris Collins with KSP Post 13 is leading this investigation.
Update: (November 10, 2018) – Dustin Stidham, the man wanted in connection with the murder of Paige Murphy, has been arrested. Kentucky State Police Post 13 received information advising that Stidham was at a residence on Lower McIntosh Road in Leslie County. Trooper Ethan Lewis located Dustin Stidham in a wooded area near the residence on Lower McIntosh Road, and he was taken into custody without incident. Stidham was lodged in the Leslie County Detention Center.
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Essie, Ky (November 8, 2018) – A Leslie County woman was shot to death early Thursday morning and investigators continue to search for the man they believe is responsible. A call was made to Kentucky State Police Post 13 at 7:30 a.m. advising that a woman had been located unresponsive inside a residence on Weeping Cherry Lane in the Essie community. Officers were dispatched to the scene where they located the woman inside the home. She appeared to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
The preliminary investigation determined that Dustin Stidham and Paige Murphy were involved in a domestic dispute when Stidham shot Murphy. Dustin Stidham fled the scene in a 2002 Ford Taurus. Leslie County Deputy Coroner Trevor Wells pronounced 28 year old Paige Murphy, of Essie, deceased at the residence at 9:25 a.m. Investigators spent the majority of the day attempting to locate Stidham in the Grassy area of Leslie County. The Ford Taurus he was driving was found abandoned on a game reserve at the head of Garrison Hollow, but Stidham did not turn up in the area.
An autopsy will be performed at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort. An arrest warrant was issued for Dustin Stidham for the offense of murder. He is described as a 32 year old white male who is approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and jeans. He is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached if seen. Anyone with information concerning the location of Dustin Stidham is urged to contact KSP Post 13 at 606-435-6069. Detective Chris Collins with KSP Post 13 is leading this investigation.