UPDATE: Jan. 15 at 3:20 p.m.
The cause of death of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife recruit William Bailey, who died in Barren County in November 2024, has been released.
According to the Barren County coroner, Bailey died of accidental drowning during a 'red man' training exercise, in which Bailey was practicing on a rescue.
UPDATE: Nov. 1 at 5:30 p.m.
According a statement released by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, recruit William Bailey was a native of Alabama, earning a bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University and playing for the university's football team.
"We ask that you please keep William, his family, friends, fellow recruits and all members of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Law Enforcement Division in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," the department said in the statement.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) game warden recruit has died following a medical emergency during an agency-involved training Friday in Barren County.
According to Kentucky State Police, aid was rendered to 24-year-old William Bailey from Richmond, Kentucky, by KDFWR officers until EMS arrived on the scene, where he was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
KSP arrived on the scene at the Game Warden Academy located in Barren County around 1 p.m. CT.
The incident remains under investigation.
