Authorities recovered a body from the Ohio River on Sunday afternoon. Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney said the body is believed to be that of an escaped Ohio fugitive that law enforcement had been searching for this past week.
McKinney said an autopsy is scheduled on Tuesday at the State Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday to confirm if the body is that of 50-year-old Bradley Gillespie. The police chief said based on a preliminary investigation, authorities do believe the body is Gillespie.
Gillespie, 50, and James Lee, 47, escaped from Allen Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio on Tuesday.
Henderson Police and Henderson Sheriff’s Office located a stolen vehicle from Lima, Ohio at 3:16 a.m. Wednesday. The red 1991 Mercury Capri with an Ohio registration plate.
The vehicle was occupied by the two fugitives. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle in the 2200 block of U.S. 41-North, but they immediately fled.
A short vehicle pursuit occurred until the suspects wrecked the vehicle into a privacy fence on Camaro Drive. Lee, who was driving, fled on foot but was quickly apprehended. He was treated and released at Deaconess Henderson Hospital and then lodged at the Henderson County Detention Center.
Gillespie also fled on foot but eluded capture. A shoe that police believe Gillespie was wearing was discovered two streets away from the crash scene.
A massive manhunt involving multiple agencies from Kentucky and Ohio ensued over the next five days. McKinney said a boater out on the Ohio River discovered the body between the Hayes and Riverfront Boat Ramp north of Deaconess Henderson Hospital at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Authorities recovered the body. McKinney said Gillespie’s family have been notified.
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