In the early morning hours of November 8, 2018, the quiet community of Essie, Kentucky, was disturbed by an act of violence that would end the life of 28-year-old Paige Murphy. A call was made to the Kentucky State Police at 7:30 a.m. reporting an unresponsive woman inside a residence on Weeping Cherry Lane. When officers arrived, they found Murphy, a white female, with a fatal gunshot wound.
The Leslie County Deputy Coroner pronounced her deceased at the scene at 9:25 a.m.
The preliminary investigation pointed to a domestic dispute as the catalyst for the tragedy. Authorities identified Dustin Stidham, 32, as the suspect, alleging that he shot Murphy during an altercation. Immediately following the shooting, Stidham fled the scene in a 2002 Ford Taurus. His abandoned vehicle was later discovered at a game reserve at the head of Garrison Hollow, sparking an intensive manhunt in the Grassy area of Leslie County. An arrest warrant for murder was issued for Stidham, who was described as armed and dangerous.
The search for Stidham concluded two days later, on November 10, 2018. Acting on a tip, Kentucky State Police located him at a residence on Lower McIntosh Road in Leslie County. Trooper Ethan Lewis found Stidham in a wooded area near the home, and he was taken into custody without incident. He was subsequently lodged in the Leslie County Detention Center. An autopsy for Paige Murphy was scheduled to be performed at the State Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort as the investigation into her death continued.
