Body found in Kentucky River believed to be one of three people killed in 1973 crash

Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT/Gray News) - The identity of a body found in the Kentucky River five years ago has been released.

Coroner Gary Ginn says the body has been identified as Martha Smith Helmick, of Bridgewater, Va. The remains are connected to a decades-old missing person case, WKYT reported.

The Fayette County Coroner’s Office said the Lexington Fire Department’s dive team found Helmick’s remains in a car submerged in the river in October 2016 during a training dive.

According to the coroner, she is one of three people believed to have been killed when the vehicle they were riding in crashed into the river in 1973.

It’s said Helmick was traveling to Jessamine County for a family reunion with her sister, Flora Helmick, and John Keyton, who was driving. The remains of the other two have still not been found or identified.

Helmick’s remains will be returned home to Virginia, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband.

The coroner credits modern technology, the resources of the fire and police departments, and the hard work of Lexington Fire Dept. Capt. Chris Warren for the positive identification of Helmick.