Kaitlyn Ashley Lynch, a 36-year-old White woman and mother of two from Cincinnati, Ohio, was remembered by her family as funny, beautiful, and determined. Her former boss described her as a "bubbly" and "upbeat" person who was always kind. Lynch, who worked at a downtown law firm, had been widowed in April 2023 and was raising her two young daughters.
Her family said she loved being a mom and was always willing to lend a hand to others.
The events that led to her death began late on the night of August 18, 2023. Shortly before midnight, neighbors on Temple Avenue in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati heard multiple gunshots. One neighbor called 911 and reported seeing a vehicle leave Lynch's driveway. When Cincinnati police officers arrived, they found evidence of a shooting, but Lynch and her car were missing. Investigators believed she had been shot, injured, and taken from the scene against her will.
The following day, August 19, authorities located Lynch's vehicle in Tennessee after tracking it with GPS technology. When Tennessee Highway Patrol and sheriff's deputies attempted to stop the car on Interstate 40, the driver led them on a multi-county chase. The pursuit ended in Cheatham County after officers used spike strips to disable the vehicle. When they approached the car, they found Kaitlyn Lynch’s body inside.
The driver, 32-year-old Lance Mason Miller of Abbott, Texas, was taken into custody. Investigators later established that Miller was a friend of Lynch's late husband and had been staying in the basement of her home for about a week. According to police, the shooting occurred after an argument between the two. Miller was charged in Ohio with murder and kidnapping. He also faces charges in Tennessee, including felony evading arrest and abuse of a corpse. Just weeks earlier, on July 31, Miller had been arrested in Oklahoma after another police chase and was charged with DUI and endangerment, among other offenses.
As of August 2023, Miller was being held in a Tennessee jail awaiting extradition to Ohio. The Cincinnati Police Department's investigation into Lynch's death is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call 513-352-3542.
