In the early morning hours of Sunday, May 23, 2021, the life of 26-year-old Sarah Jane King was tragically cut short in the Ages community of Harlan County, Kentucky. A resident of Baxter, Kentucky, and a graduate of Harlan County High School, Sarah was known as a long-haul truck driver and an active member of the Kildav Community Church. That morning, she suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest. She was quickly transported to Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital, but the injury proved fatal, and she was pronounced dead by the Harlan County Coroner's office. Sarah Jane King was a White female.
The Kentucky State Police were promptly contacted and began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. Their efforts led to a significant development in the case just two days later. On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, authorities arrested 28-year-old Matthew D. Clutts of Evarts, Kentucky.
Clutts was charged with the murder of Sarah Jane King and was booked into the Harlan County Detention Center. According to the investigation, it was Clutts who had fired the single shot that ended Sarah's life. In the evening following the arrest, the Harlan County Rescue Squad and Kentucky State Police were observed conducting a search in connection with the ongoing investigation. Matthew Clutts was held without bond.
