Police Investigate Homicide; Nephew of the Victim in Custody

Police Investigate Homicide; Nephew of the Victim in Custody in Louisville, KY

At 9:52 p.m. Sunday, Jackson police received a call from a woman in Louisville, KY, after she had not heard from her twin sister in over 20 hours. According to the woman, it was uncharacteristic for that much time to pass without them talking.

Officers responded to the woman's home on the 20 block of Copper Ridge Cove. Through the window, police saw a woman lying on the kitchen floor. Officers forced entry into the home and found the home owner, Karen Mullins, 43, dead. Foul play was apparent. Investigators and an assistant county medical examiner were summoned to the scene. The preliminary cause of death was multiple stab wounds.

Investigators determined that Mullins' 19-year-old nephew, who lived with her in the home, and her SUV were both missing.

Investigators received information from Mullins' family in Louisville about a possible location of the nephew in Louisville. Jackson police contacted Louisville police, and they located the nephew and Mullins' SUV around 1 a.m. Monday.

He was taken into custody, and the SUV was impounded by Louisville police as a crime scene. Jackson investigators traveled to Louisville around 3 a.m. Monday to question the nephew.

As a result of the questioning, Jackson police believe Mullins was fatally stabbed, in the Copper Ridge home, by her nephew Saturday evening. Jackson investigators also recovered the murder weapon and other evidence in a dumpster at Camelia Trace Apartments in Jackson around 1 p.m. Monday.

Mullins and the nephew lived in Camelia Trace Apartments prior to moving to Copper Ridge Cove.

The investigation has also revealed that Mullins moved to Jackson from Louisville in March 2012, and her nephew came from Louisville to live with her in early October. Jackson police are continuing the investigation and anticipate filing charges on the nephew, Caleb Lawrence Mullins.

He will be extradited from Louisville to Jackson to face murder charges as soon as possible.