Warren County Sheriff's deputies pulled the body of a man from Drakes Creek near the Reginald Kirby Bridge Wednesday afternoon, launching a death investigation that remains active as authorities await autopsy results from Louisville. The man's identity has not been released, and investigators have not disclosed the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Warren County Sheriff's Office received a report of a deceased person around 1:21 p.m. Wednesday in the 1200 block of Old Scottsville Road, according to WNKY. Deputies responding to the scene located a deceased male in the creek, the sheriff's office told the station. The Warren County Coroner's Office transported the body from the scene, and it will be sent to Louisville for an autopsy.
A Popular Waterway With a History of Hazards
The stretch of Drakes Creek near the Old Scottsville Road bridge sits along a six-mile Bluewater paddle trail that runs from Phil Moore Park downstream to the KY 2629 bridge access area, a route that draws regular kayak and fishing traffic, according to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. Drakes Creek is a major tributary that empties into the Barren River near Bowling Green. The creek's gravel substrate causes floodwaters to carve deep holes and deposit submerged trees along its banks, creating fluctuating water levels and underwater hazards that anglers and paddlers frequently encounter, per the Bowling Green Daily News.
This is not the first time a body has surfaced along this waterway. In August 2016, Kentucky State Police opened a death investigation on Drakes Creek near Bowling Green after a kayaker spotted the submerged body of 30-year-old local resident Victor Thomas, according to WHAS11. That victim was likewise transported for autopsy to determine an official cause of death. In March 2026, police in Hendersonville, Tennessee, investigated a similar water recovery along a connected stretch of Drakes Creek at Old Hickory Lake after finding the body of 60-year-old Darrell Kirby; investigators there eventually ruled out foul play following an autopsy, per the Williamson Source.
Why Answers Could Take Weeks
Kentucky's death investigation system pairs elected county coroners with state forensic pathologists. Under Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 72, coroners hold statutory responsibility to investigate sudden, violent, or unattended deaths. The man's body is headed to Louisville for an autopsy.
Authorities have not released the man's identity or details about how he died. The Warren County Sheriff's Office has not said when it expects to release further information.
The Current Death Inquiry
Warren County agencies are investigating the death following the discovery in Drakes Creek.
For now, the Drakes Creek investigation remains open. Authorities have confirmed only that a deceased male was located in the creek near the Reginald Kirby Bridge and that his body was sent on for autopsy, leaving both his identity and the manner of his death unresolved until Louisville's forensic examiners complete their work.
