Marissa Renee Copeland, a 19-year-old White/Caucasian woman from Calvert City, Kentucky, was shot on the afternoon of June 21, 2019, at Lakeland Resort in the Aurora community of Marshall County. Deputies with the Marshall County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the resort at approximately 2 p.m. after receiving a report that a woman had suffered a gunshot wound. Copeland was taken from the scene to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries. Contemporary reports also described her as pregnant at the time of the shooting.
The circumstances surrounding the gunfire were not immediately made public. Investigators treated the incident as a death investigation and secured the location while attempting to determine exactly how Copeland had been shot. Authorities said they were awaiting the results of an autopsy as the investigation continued.
During the investigation at Lakeland Resort, detectives obtained a search warrant for the property. According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, investigators discovered methamphetamine, digital scales, plastic baggies and small quantities of suspected methamphetamine. Those findings led to the arrest of 25-year-old Blake Williams.
Williams was charged with first-degree possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was later released on bond. A Marshall County sheriff's deputy publicly confirmed that Williams was considered a person of interest in the investigation into Copeland's death. The drug charges stemmed from evidence allegedly discovered during the search and were separate from any potential criminal responsibility for the shooting itself.
Although some early news reports described Williams as having been charged "in connection" with the deadly shooting, the specific charges reported against him were narcotics-related. Available reports from the period do not show that he was charged with murder, manslaughter or another homicide offense in Copeland's death. Investigators continued examining the shooting and said additional information would be released as the case developed.
Copeland had been born in Paducah and grew up in the Calvert City area. She graduated from Marshall County High School in 2017 and had played varsity softball. Her obituary described her as someone who also enjoyed horseback riding, riding four-wheelers and spending time with friends. Her death came only a few years after she had finished high school and left family members and friends mourning a life ended at an exceptionally young age.
Published information located about the investigation does not document a later homicide indictment, trial or conviction arising from Copeland's shooting. The most specific publicly reported suspect information identified Blake Williams as a person of interest while documenting his arrest on the unrelated drug charges discovered during the investigation.
