On the late afternoon of September 27, 2023, Mariah Warren, 56, was found dead in the yard of a Hopkins Cemetery Road residence in southern Graves County, Kentucky, between Wingo and Water Valley. She had sustained an apparent shotgun wound. The initial 911 call, received at 5:49 PM, reported that a male had shot a female; a deputy arrived within two minutes.

Investigators arrested a 15-year-old neighbor and charged him with murder and tampering with physical evidence. The juvenile told detectives Warren had been on the property, had been told to leave, and refused; he said he retrieved and loaded a shotgun and pointed it at her, and described the shooting as unintentional. Officers say the teen attempted to hide the firearm before 911 was called, and found no evidence that anyone contacted law enforcement before the shooting. An autopsy was scheduled for the next day.

If anyone in the Wingo or Water Valley area knew Mariah Warren or saw activity on Hopkins Cemetery Road that afternoon, please come forward with information.