On Saturday, May 6, 2023, 18-year-old Nolan Ray Naegele of Hazard, Kentucky, was fatally shot in Whitesburg while driving on KY 15 Business during a police pursuit. Naegele was taken to Whitesburg ARH Hospital and pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound to his right shoulder that entered his chest.

Police say the incident followed a three-day period of marijuana and methamphetamine use involving Naegele, his girlfriend, and 19-year-old Ethan S. Brown. Authorities report the situation escalated into a possible hostage scenario after Brown allegedly contacted his mother saying he was being held captive and needed $2,500. An officer who was contacted located Naegele’s vehicle and attempted a traffic stop; during the pursuit the vehicle swerved, hit a ditch, and struck a guardrail. Brown allegedly shot Naegele after the crash and then surrendered.

Brown was arrested and charged with murder and lodged in the Letcher County Jail without bond. A grand jury initially declined to indict in 2023; the case was later reviewed and a grand jury returned an indictment for murder in October 2025. The investigation continues.

If anyone has information about Nolan, the events in Whitesburg that day, or either person’s movements in the days beforehand, please come forward.