Ardyth Prather At 67 Died In Science Hill Shooting At Kentucky

Ardyth Prather At 67, Shooting At Kentucky – In a devastating turn of events, Pulaski County, Kentucky, finds itself in shock and mourning as the community grapples with the tragic loss of two beloved individuals, Ardyth “Ray” Prather Jr. and Ardyth “Trae” Prather III. A horrifying incident unfolded in Science Hill, a small town in the northern part of the county, leaving two lives taken and another forever altered.

The nightmare began on the evening of November 8, 2023, when officers from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a shooting in Science Hill at 11:47 p.m. What they encountered was a scene of unimaginable tragedy. Ardyth “Ray” Prather Jr., a 67-year-old man, had lost his life to apparent gunshot wounds, while his wife, Joann Prather, 65, had been both shot and stabbed but miraculously clung to life. She was rushed to a Lexington hospital for the urgent medical care she needed to recover from this horrific ordeal.

As law enforcement officers continued to investigate the scene, their attention was drawn to a neighboring house on Raleigh Road, where they discovered the lifeless body of Ardyth “Trae” Prather III, 43, according to an official release from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. The individual believed to be responsible for these heartbreaking slayings is Austin Prather, a 20-year-old man who is the son of Ardyth Prather III and the grandson of Ardyth Prather Jr. and Joann Prather, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office.

At this early stage of the investigation, authorities remain without concrete information regarding the motives or circumstances that led to these horrifying events. The sudden and brutal loss of two generations of the Prather family, as well as the grievous injuries inflicted upon Joann Prather, has left the community shaken and in search of answers. In response to this tragic incident, a joint effort involving officers from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department, the Somerset Police Department, the Kentucky State Police, and the Science Hill department was immediately mobilized to secure the scene and initiate a thorough investigation into the events of that fateful night.

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