When a woman vanished in Kentucky and authorities found her dead from a drug overdose, her grieving loved ones felt the circumstances didn’t add up.
They believe a man caused her death, and they claim he’s a serial killer who has done the same thing to at least two other women — and authorities should charge him with their murders.
Clark County Detention Center holds Brian Epperson, 45, on state charges of murder, possession of methamphetamine, and video voyeurism, according to records reviewed by Law&Crime. However, while federal prosecutors have charged the defendant with distributing methamphetamine in connection with 29-year-old Reacheal Dawson’s death, the murder charge stems from a separate case.
Dawson’s family believes authorities could have done more to protect her — given that Epperson had allegedly already killed 32-year-old Kristen Morris and was already on investigators’ radar when Dawson disappeared on June 26, 2025.
Authorities found Morris’ body on May 31, 2025; she had reportedly died from an overdose and was discovered in an Airbnb rented by Epperson. According to a news release from the Kentucky State Police on July 9, 2025, police arrested Epperson and charged him with Morris’ murder after “a lengthy investigation” conducted with help from the Powell County coroner.
Between the discovery of Morris’ body and Epperson’s arrest, however, more crimes had apparently taken place.
Dawson left her home to go for a walk in rural Kentucky on June 26, 2025, and never returned, her family told the local outlet. Her longtime boyfriend Kaylieb Thompson called Dawson’s sister, and the sister tracked Dawson’s phone to a Red Roof Inn in Winchester, about 30 minutes away.
Within hours of that call, investigators told Dawson’s family that she was dead. The victim reportedly had a large amount of methamphetamine in her system, though her loved ones said she did not use drugs.
Authorities said a drug capsule had lodged in Dawson’s esophagus, and her arms were positioned in a manner as if she had been resisting. She had also been sexually assaulted.
Investigators apparently learned that Epperson, a name her family did not immediately know, had rented the hotel room in which Dawson’s body was found. Authorities apparently did know his name, though.
Dawson’s family has suggested that — if investigators did know about Epperson’s alleged crimes — he shouldn’t have been able to walk free and apparently harm their loved one.
“Had this been addressed, he wouldn’t have even been in the presence of my sister,” Dominique Dawson, Reacheal Dawson’s brother, told WDRB.
Kay Dawson, the victim’s sister, recounted that she learned Epperson and her sister had exchanged messages before her death and that Epperson was a contractor.
At a court hearing, authorities detailed the suspect’s internet search history — though the time frame on the searches is unclear.
“How long does it take for the jaw to lock?” Thompson recalled one as reading, while another search — “Why doesn’t it bother me to watch someone die” — was also allegedly conducted.
Testimony also reportedly referenced another death family members say is linked to Epperson: in November 2024, authorities found Hilory Davis dead from a drug overdose in a room the suspect allegedly booked. No one has apparently brought charges in connection with Davis’ death.
Reacheal Dawson’s family also believes — at least regarding the harrowing circumstances surrounding their loved one — that the drug charges against Epperson are not enough. They want authorities to charge Epperson with murder.
“It’s a spit in our face to charge us with such a petty charge when they have more than enough proof, more than enough evidence,” Thompson said.
Kay Dawson told WDRB she worries that there may be additional victims.
“I think my sister helped a serial killer get off the streets, because we don’t know how long he’s been doing this to people,” she said.
Law&Crime reached out to the Kentucky State Police to inquire about the status of the cases. Epperson’s federal trial in connection with Morris’ and Reacheal Dawson’s deaths is scheduled to start on Aug. 3.
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