A tragic sequence of events unfolded in Berea, leading to an overnight homicide and subsequent connection to a death investigation along I-75 in Whitley County. WVLT reported that 77-year-old Margie Berry was found dead in a home on Leslie Drive late Saturday night, following an alert from a caller who heard a loud noise during a phone call and then silence.
Berea police discovered Berry with a fatal gunshot wound after observing an open door to her residence; her son, Kevin Berry, was identified as the suspect, according to a post by the Berea Police Department. Following a cell phone ping and a multi-county alert for a red Chevrolet Sonic linked to the incident, efforts to find Kevin intensified, and he was eventually located along I-75 by the Whitley County Sheriff's Office, along with Williamsburg Police and Kentucky State Police, but this discovery came only after they witnessed his car rolling into a rock wall at the highway's shoulder.
The situation escalated when authorities used a drone to safely ascertain the status within the vehicle, where Kevin was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, FOX 56 News reported. The public faced temporary road closures along I-75 as a safety precaution while police addressed the scene and ensured no further threat to public safety; both lanes of the highway were eventually reopened after White, Williamsburg Assistant Chief of Police, stated, "We’re gonna keep our thoughts with the family, too, because it was a pretty intense incident that occurred."
Kevin Berry's past as a former deputy of the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office was confirmed, where he had served before leaving the agency in 2020, according to WVLT. As the investigations continued, both units were sighted at multiple locations in an attempt to locate Berry before the discovery was made. The culmination of events has left two family members deceased, punctuating a poignant and somber note to an already complex and distressing case.
