FINAL UPDATE: 23-YEAR-OLD BOAT CAPTAIN CHARGED AS ...

FINAL UPDATE: 23-YEAR-OLD BOAT CAPTAIN CHARGED AS MASSIVE SEARCH FOR MISSING 19-YEAR-OLD ENTERS CRITICAL PHASE – DRONES, K-9S AND DIVE TEAMS RACE AGAINST TIME

A 23-year-old man has been arrested and charged after a 19-year-old woman disappeared while boating on a lake in Kentucky.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife told PEOPLE in a statement that Marly Kinney, a 19-year-old from Ashland, Ky., was last seen at Grayson Lake, located in the state’s Carter and Elliott counties, on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 24.

Authorities were dispatched to Boat Ramp Road in Grayson, where 23-year-old Cameron Conley told marina staff that he was unable to locate a woman who had been on his boat, according to local outlets LEX18 and WLKY.

Cameron Conley’s mugshot.Kentucky State Police

A citation obtained by the outlets stated that state troopers who arrived at the scene alleged that they could smell alcohol on Conley and noted that he had bloodshot eyes and they questioned if he’d been drinking while boating.

Conley allegedly told the troopers that he had been drinking and consented to a breathalyzer test. The outlets reported his blood alcohol level was allegedly 0.137%, and troopers placed him under arrest for boating under the influence by 5:30 p.m. local time.

The maximum blood alcohol content allowed for a person boating in Kentucky is 0.08%.

Kinney has been missing since the incident, and officials are still working to locate the 19-year-old.

Marly Kinney.Marly Kinney/facebook

Game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, as well as Kentucky State Police, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Kentucky State Parks rangers and several local fire and sheriff’s departments are assisting in the search for Kinney, a spokesperson with the Department of Fish and Wildlife told PEOPLE.

“Search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats and K9 assistance,” the spokesperson said.

Kinney’s family told WSAZ in a statement that they were thankful for the community’s support amid the missing person search.

“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, first responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly,” the family’s statement read.

“We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home,” the statement added.

According to the outlets, Conley was taken to the Carter County Detention Center on Wednesday and released the same day. He was charged with one count of operating a boat or watercraft while intoxicated or under the influence and is set to appear in court in July.

Authorities told the outlets that anyone with information about the missing person investigation is asked to call 911.

SOURCE: https://people.com/boat-captain-charged-with-bui-after-marly-kinney-19-goes-missing-grayson-lake-kentucky-12008101