Huntington woman’s corpse found in car after Ky. chase

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 21, 2023

LONDON, Ky. —The Kentucky State Police are investigating how a Huntington, West Virginia woman was killed after her body was found in a car after a multi-county pursuit.

According to a press release from the KSP, around 10:12 a.m. on Wednesday, a KSP trooper attempted to pull over a vehicle on I-75 South near the 83-mile marker in Madison County, Kentucky, because of careless driving.

After the trooper turned on his lights and sirens, the vehicle stopped, but, as troopers approached the vehicle, the driver took off south on I-75 at a high rate of speed through three counties.

Email newsletter signup

The fleeing vehicle struck several Kentucky State Police vehicles.

In an effort to stop the vehicle, a legal intervention maneuver was performed by KSP, and the fleeing vehicle became disabled at the 45-mile marker southbound in Laurel County.

The driver, David Maurice Reed, 54, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was arrested at that time without further incident.

When the troopers searched the vehicle, they found a dead woman inside.

The body was sent to the Kentucky State Medical Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.

She was identified on Thursday as Rachel Louise Carder, of Huntington, West Virginia. A cause of death has not been released.

Reed was arrested and charged with nine counts, including murder (domestic violence,) abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, fleeing or evading police, criminal mischief, wanton endangerment of a police officer, resisting arrest, careless driving and no operator’s license.

The case remains under investigation by KSP Post 11 London detective Ryan Loudermilk.