Just before midnight on December 23, 2025, Kentucky State Police, Post 7 in Richmond, received a request from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department for investigative assistance regarding a fatal house fire on Upper Dry Fork Road in McKee.
Kentucky State Police troopers and detectives, along with the Jackson County Coroner, responded to the scene. The preliminary investigation revealed that three children were pronounced deceased at the scene as a result of the fire: a 7 month old, a 2 year old, and a 3 year old.
A fourth child, a 4 year old, was transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital and later transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for further treatment.
Three adults, Tyler Monst, 23 of McKee, Morgan Johnson, 22 of McKee, and Florence Johnson, 76 of McKee, were transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the fire. The cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
The investigation remains ongoing and is being led by KSP Detective Anthony Bowling. He was assisted at the scene by Kentucky State Police personnel, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Multiple Fire Departments and the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.
