Kayly Lynn Lockaby: Found in the Woods, Three Days Too Late
When a Teenager Didn’t Come Home
Kayly Lynn Lockaby was sixteen years old — still a child by every legal and moral standard — when she slipped out of sight in Laurel County, Kentucky. Her disappearance did not begin with flashing lights or immediate urgency. It began quietly, the way many missing teen cases do, with uncertainty, delayed realization, and the slow panic that grows when hours turn into days.
Kayly was last seen on July 22, 2016. At the time, no one knew those would be the final confirmed hours she was alive. Four days later, on July 26, 2016, a foster parent reported her missing to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department. By then, Kayly had already been gone long enough for worry to harden into fear.
As deputies began looking into where Kayly might be, one name surfaced repeatedly: Skyler Wayne Barnett, a 21-year-old man identified as Kayly’s boyfriend. The age gap alone raised concern. The power imbalance mattered. And the fact that Kayly was a minor made every interaction legally and ethically serious.
By Friday afternoon, July 29, 2016, Laurel County deputies issued a public alert asking for help locating Kayly. Only hours later, a second alert followed — this one announcing that a warrant had been issued for Barnett, tied to allegations of harboring a runaway and unlawful transaction with a minor.
That was the moment the case shifted. And it would only get worse from there.
The Walk Through the Woods
Early Friday evening, deputies from the Whitley County Sheriff’s Office went to 319 Lee Lane, Barnett’s residence in the Bee Creek community of Whitley County, looking for Kayly.
Those deputies were James Fox, Jonas Saunders, and Joe Prewitt.
They approached the property through a wooded area beside the home — not knowing that only a few hundred feet away, the search was already over.
About 400 feet from Barnett’s home, in the woods, deputies came across human remains of a deceased female. Lying in terrain so rough that firefighters would later be called in just to help remove her body.
Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley was called to the scene. At approximately 8:00 p.m., he pronounced Kayly Lynn Lockaby deceased.
By that point, investigators believed she had been there three to four days.
Three to four days alone in the woods. Three to four days unseen. Three to four days after she vanished from her life.
Identifying Kayly
Because of decomposition and environmental exposure, Kayly could not be immediately identified by appearance alone. The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed her identity through tattoos, scars, and other identifying marks — permanent pieces of her body that outlasted everything else.
Her body was removed from the scene late Friday night, around 10:30 to 11:00 p.m., with assistance from Oak Grove Fire and Rescue, due to the steep and difficult terrain.
Even in death, it took a team to bring her out of the woods.
What the Autopsy Revealed — and What It Didn’t
The autopsy results added a deeply unsettling layer to an already devastating case.
According to Coroner Andy Croley, the medical examiner determined there was no anatomical or lethal trauma to Kayly’s body. That meant there were no injuries consistent with shooting, stabbing, blunt force trauma, or other immediately obvious lethal trauma.
Officials stated they were waiting on toxicology results before determining an official cause of death, and those results were expected to take about two weeks. Until that information was available, Kayly’s cause of death remained uncertain/undetermined.
Croley stated publicly that he did not believe Kayly’s body had been dumped at that location. That detail matters, because it suggests she may have died where she was found — or at least very near it.
It also raises a haunting question: If she wasn’t dumped there… how did she get there?
The Arrest at Lee Lane
While Kayly was being recovered from the woods, deputies were also taking Skyler Wayne Barnett into custody.
Barnett was arrested Friday evening on the outstanding warrant from Laurel County. Officials stated the warrant was tied to unlawful transaction with a minor. Investigators made it clear at the time that he had not been publicly charged with homicide.
But the arrest did not stop there.
According to arrest documentation written by Deputy Joe Prewitt, when deputies arrived at the Lee Lane residence, Prewitt observed Barnett exit the back door of the home. When Barnett was searched, deputies reportedly found a syringe with a black tar-like substance believed to be heroin in Barnett’s pocket. Deputies also reportedly found a spoon with a small black rock believed to be heroin next to where Barnett had been sitting.
Whitley County deputies charged Barnett with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (heroin) and possession of drug paraphernalia, based on items they reported finding at the residence and on his person.
Barnett was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center at 3:03 a.m. Saturday. He was reportedly held in lieu of a $1,000 cash bond in the unlawful transaction with a minor case and a $10,000 cash bond in the drug possession case.
Sheriff Colan Harrell declined to say what, if anything, Barnett told investigators about Kayly’s death.
A Digital Trail That Hurt to Read
As the community reeled, an older Facebook post from Barnett resurfaced. In it, dated September 7, 2015, Barnett wrote about how happy he was to meet Kayly and how much she meant to him.
It is important to state clearly: this post does not confirm wrongdoing. It reflects a relationship that investigators already acknowledged publicly. But for many, reading those words after learning where Kayly was found felt deeply unsettling.
What Investigators Have Said
Based on public statements from officials at the time:
Kayly was last seen on July 22, 2016. She was reported missing on July 26, 2016. Her body was discovered on July 29, 2016, in Whitley County. Officials believed she had likely been deceased for three to four days. The medical examiner reported no obvious lethal trauma, and toxicology testing was pending. A suspect was arrested on charges involving a minor and drugs, and the suspect lived approximately 400 feet from where Kayly was found.
The investigation was reported as continuing with Coroner Andy Croley and Deputy James Fox involved.
The Questions That Will Not Go Away
Even with arrests and charges, the big questions remain:
What happened to Kayly between July 22 and July 29? Who last saw her alive — and where? Why was she near Barnett’s home when she died? If she was not dumped, how did she end up in that wooded area? Did drugs or alcohol play a role? Was Kayly able to seek help? Was anyone else present who has never spoken publicly? What did toxicology ultimately reveal? Why has the case remained so quiet since?
Because a sixteen-year-old girl does not die in the woods without a story behind it.
Key Individuals & Relationships
Kayly Lynn Lockaby — Victim — 16-year-old minor from Laurel County. Reported missing July 26, 2016. Found deceased July 29, 2016, in the Bee Creek community of Whitley County.
Skyler Wayne Barnett — Boyfriend / Accused — 21-year-old man named in public reporting. Allegedly had contact with Kayly prior to her death. Arrested on charges including unlawful transaction with a minor, possession of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Not publicly charged with homicide at the time of the initial reporting.