UPDATE: Jan. 12 at 7 a.m.
Kentucky State Police say the Franklin County Coroner's Office has identified the person killed in the crash on I-64 on Saturday.
According to the coroner's office, the person was identified as 30-year-old Ryan Ebler of Martinsville, Indiana.
KSP says the crash remains under investigation.
UPDATE: Jan. 11 at 11 a.m.
A woman was found dead inside a burning house in Dalton, Georgia, early Saturday morning in what police are investigating as a homicide and arson case.
The suspected killer died hours later in a high-speed crash in Kentucky while fleeing from police in the victim's stolen vehicle, KSP reported.
The Dalton Police Department detailed that fire crews responded to a house fire on Grimes Street at around 5:45 a.m. Saturday. Firefighters discovered a woman dead inside the structure during their search.
Due to the suspicious nature of the death, the police department, Whitfield County Coroner's Office, and state fire marshal's office were called to assist with the investigation, police added.
The victim's identity has not been released pending positive identification by the medical examiner's office and notification of next of kin.
After police arrived at the scene, a woman called to report that her brother had told her he had killed his girlfriend at the Grimes Street residence. The caller requested a welfare check on the resident.
Police had already identified that individual, who lives in Indiana, as a person of interest in the case.
The victim's vehicle was missing from the scene when police arrived. The vehicle information and license plate were entered into a national database as stolen, police detailed.
At around 9:30 a.m., Dalton investigators learned that Kentucky State Police had located the victim's vehicle and were pursuing it south of Lexington. The chase reached speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour as it continued from I-75 northbound onto I-64 westbound.
Police made multiple attempts to stop the vehicle using tire deflation devices. The suspect lost control at the 50-mile marker, crossed the center median and struck a semi-truck traveling east. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Franklin County Coroner's Office has identified the crash victim as 30-year-old Ryan M. Ebler of Martinsville, Indiana. A postmortem examination found Ebler's death was consistent with the crash. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday morning.
The semi-truck driver was uninjured, and all lanes of I-64 have reopened.
Both the homicide and arson investigation in Georgia and the crash investigation in Kentucky remain ongoing.
UPDATE: Jan. 10 at 6:15 p.m.
One person is dead following a cross-county chase that resulted in a collision on I-64 westbound in Frankfort Saturday, Kentucky State Police reports.
According to the agency, KSP Richmond officers were dispatched Saturday morning to assist in locating a homicide suspect. They, alongside Berea Police, attempted to make a traffic stop on a vehicle matching the suspect description that failed to yield and initiated a pursuit.
The chase continued from I-75 northbound onto I-64 westbound with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Multiple attempts were made by police to stop the vehicle using tire deflation devices, KSP reports.
The suspect then lost control of the vehicle at the 50-mile marker, crossing the center median and striking a semi-truck traveling east. The driver was pronounced dead on the scene and due to the "nature of the crash," has not been identified.
The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured, and all lanes of I-64 have reopened. The investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
Original Story:
All lanes of I-64 eastbound near Exit 53 are currently shut down after a morning collision involving a semi-truck that later caught fire. Lanes are expected to be closed for several hours as an investigation continues.
Westbound I-64 has reopened to traffic.
Drivers are encouraged to detour at KY 151 (Exit 48), taking the roadway north to US 60-Louisville Rd., then to US 127, Ready Frankfort Reports.
This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.
