Mother on Fort Thomas church youth group retreat dies, second woman in hospital

Members of the Grace Fellowship Church in Fort Thomas are mourning the loss of a mother following a youth group retreat this weekend.

Kentucky State Police say two women from the church were on the retreat with a youth group at The Bluegrass Palace in Langley, Kentucky, when they were found unresponsive.

Kara Hanks, a mother and one of the leaders of the youth group, was dead by the time she arrived at the hospital, according to Floyd County Coroner Greg Nelson.

Troopers said the women were taken to the hospital for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. Nelson said he couldn’t confirm a cause of death until after the toxicology report and an autopsy were finished.

Jeff Blankenship, an attorney for the church, said the other woman is still in the hospital. Her name was not released.

“Our ministry staff is counseling now with the families and the youth who attended the retreat,” a statement from the church reads. “We grieve the loss of Kara, a true servant of Jesus Christ and we recognize the deep impact the loss will have on the hearts and persons of all our congregation, especially the youth who worked with this very special lady closely in our youth ministry.”

Blankenship said that the children on the retreat appeared unharmed.

FOX19Now reached out to The Bluegrass Palace about the incident and hadn’t heard back as of publication. The facility remains on several rental sites.

Grace Fellowship Church has three campuses in Fort Thomas, Florence, and Independence and is a part of the Evangelical Free Church of America, according to its website.

Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided this report

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mother dies on Grace Fellowship Church retreat to Bluegrass Palace