In the quiet community of Frankfort, Kentucky, a tragedy unfolded that claimed the life of 88-year-old Carolyn Page Karsner Barker. On a Friday in June of 2016, a concerned relative, unable to reach her, went to her home on Pea Ridge Road and made a grim discovery. Inside, Carolyn and her caregiver, 32-year-old Jennifer Lynn Downey, were found deceased, both having suffered from gunshot wounds in what was determined to be a double homicide.
Carolyn, a native of Franklin County, was a
retired employee of the Kentucky Supreme Court Clerk’s Office. She was remembered as an avid reader who cherished the natural beauty of Kentucky and held a deep love for her family. Her peaceful life was brought to a violent end in an event that shook the local community.
The investigation into the double homicide soon pointed to a suspect close to home. Law enforcement identified Carolyn's 69-year-old son, Raymond “Voin” Barker, as the perpetrator. In a tragic turn of events, on the same day the women's bodies were discovered, Raymond Barker was found deceased in a separate location in Frankfort from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office confirmed the connection between the deaths and announced that they were not seeking any other suspects in the case. While the motive behind the tragic event was not made clear, the investigation was officially closed, leaving a community to mourn the loss of two lives.
