RedactedNarrative: On September 21st 2019 at around 17:05 hours I was dispatched to a possible missing persons call on Lake Cumberland in the area of Old Waitsboro Ramp.  I was told by dispatch that a female had called Pulaski County Dispatch and reported her husband was missing.  She had told them she was backing the boat up and lost sight of him.  
  
  I responded from Conley Bottom Marina to the area of Old Waitsboro Ramp in Pulaski County Kentucky.  Just prior to arriving to the ramp I noticed a couple boats in the area and was waved over by an occupant on one of the boats.  As I pulled in I was met at the rear of maroon and white cruiser with Kentucky registration numbers KY 0776 RU, vessel 1 for reporting purposes.  
  
  Operator appeared confused and in a state of shock.  Subject1 came to the rear of the vessel and told me the female on board waved him over and told him her husband had been swimming with a buoy and had disappeared.  Subject1 had been in his own boat and had exited it to assist Operator.  Subject1 also told me had had been looking for an anchor on Operator's boat to drop and could not locate one.  
  
  I gathered Subject1 contact information thanked him for his help and allowed him to leave the area as his family was awaiting him in his boat.  I then began speaking to Operator and received essentially the same information.  She stated that she had been laying on the front deck in the sun and had gotten up to reposition the boat into the sun.  
  
  She said she wasn't sure where her husband had been at that point.  She then pointed to a white buoy floating down the lake and said that was the last place she could remember her husband being.  She claimed he had been hanging onto that buoy.  I pushed my patrol boat out away from Operator's vessel and began to pull toward the buoy to obtain a gps coordinate as the buoy appeared to be moving.  
  
  As I disengaged from her vessel I witnessed a subject located near the lower unit of Vessel 1.  I radioed to other units enroute to the scene that it appeared a victim was in the water near the lower unit of the vessel 1 and that I would be entering the water to attempt to rescue him.  I entered the water and dove under and was able to reach the victim.  
  
  As I began to pull the victim to the surface I felt the leg was severed and cut my hand on the exposed bones.  About that time an off duty fireman and deputy sheriff arrived on scene and dove in to assist.  We were unable to pull the victim from the water due to entanglement in the lower unit.  However, I did retrieve a mooring line and it was securely affixed to the victim to keep from potentially losing the victim if he was freed from the lower unit.  
  
  Lt. arrived on scene with the Pulaski County Rescue Squad and Trooper with KSP.  Lt. dove into the water to assist with recovery upon his arrival as well.  Once it became apparent that the victim was deceased and that we could not remove him from the lower unit Lt. and I boarded my patrol boat and began speaking with Operator. 
  
  During the interview with Operator, I observed the odor of marijuana coming from Operator's vessel and noticed a pipe sitting on the dash of her boat.  She admitted to having consumed a small amount of alcoholic beverages throughout the evening but was adamant the marijuana pipe belonged to the victim.  
  
  Operator then consented to seated standardized field sobriety testing while still on her vessel.  She also gave a Portable Breath Test which showed presumption of no impairment.  She also consented to further sobriety testing on the shore that was administered by Trooper.  Operator then volunteered to a blood test.  
  
  Operator was moved from her vessel to shoreline by Lt. and Trooper as the victim was having to be removed from the lower unit of the vessel by divers with the Rescue Squad.  Prior to her leaving her vessel she told me to do whatever I needed to with the vessel.  I explained to her that it would be removed from the water by Marine Assist Tow Service as we could not leave it adrift once the victim was removed.  Lt. then drove Operator to the Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital where she consented to having her blood drawn.  
  
  She was met there by her parents and allowed to leave with them.  The victim was removed from the lower unit and pronounced deceased on scene by a deputy coroner who was also on the Rescue Squad.  The vessel was in reverse gear and not running upon my arrival.  At one point the lower unit was attempted to be raised to allow for better access to the victim however the trim was not able to be utilized.  After removal of the victim, Marine Assist was able to raise the lower unit to remove the vessel from the water.  Photographs were taken as the vessel was loaded.  
  
  I went to Marine Assists facility and gathered the needed information from the Vessel 1.  I also photographed the vessel as well as the vantage point from anyone operating the vessel.  Damage witnessed on the  vessel was also photographed.  A cooler left from the outing was still on board that held both alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages.  No other drugs or paraphernalia was observed.  The interior of the vessel also did not appear to be damaged or disturbed.  No signs of any struggle on board were present.  Upon getting the print out of the vessel's registration it was noted that only Victim's name was on the registration.  Operator was notified that we had no hold on the vessel other than proof of ownership.  Operator was able to pick the vessel up from Marine Assist on October 16th 2019.  
  
  On September 24th I began to receive calls from several different persons associated with the subjects.  These included family members and family friends and coworkers.  Some wanted to make sure that the case was being looked into and wasn't just going to be listed as an accident without investigation.  I assured them that we would be following through with the case as we do with all others as well.  I also told the callers that we would be awaiting toxicology and autopsy reports prior to completing our investigation.  All callers were interviewed and asked for anything that could assist in the investigation.  The legal process was also explained to them with the ultimate decision being that of the Commonwealth Attorney's Office.  
  
  The autopsy for Victim was picked up from the Pulaski County Coroner's Office and reviewed.  The analysis by the medical examiner listed chop wounds and possible drowning leading to the death of Victim.  Victim's toxicology included presence of THC, THC-COOH, Ethanol, Methamphetamine and Hydrocodone.  THC present.  No other drug use was indicated from anyone interviewed.  The cause of death was listed as accident on the medical examiner's report.  
  
  Damage Assessment  
  While examining the vessel involved in the Victim's death damage was observed.  Operator, (family friend) and Marine Assist all mentioned that the shifter was difficult to use.  Based on interviews this was the case prior to the accident.  Multiple people familiar with the vessel reported it being difficult to place into reverse gear.  
  
  I also observed multiple scratched on the lower unit gear case.  The scratches on the lower unit appeared to be fresh and are in the area of Victim's entanglement.  While recovering Victim from the lower unit the Rescue Squad had to utilize knives to cut his swimming trunks.  
  
  This may have led to the scratching of the drive.  The water depth in the area of the accident was deep enough to not allow the lower unit to make contact with the ground.  The skeg on the bottom of the torpedo was also broken off of Vessel 1.  
  