KNOX COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky State Police confirmed Monday that a firefighter found dead late last week in a Knox County dump site was murdered.
Investigators say the body of Michael Sowders was found down a hillside off Hinkle Branch Road in the Hinkle community. The body was discovered under a pile of garbage by a Forestry worker who was cleaning up the area with inmates and guards.
Police confirmed that Sowders had been shot.
Residents tell LEX 18 that the area is a well-known illegal dump site. Sowders, of Barbourville, was a firefighter and EMS employee.
Police have not named any suspects in the crime.
