Virginia Woman, 22, Wanted for Murder Continues to Evade Authorities 5 Days Into Statewide Manhunt

A Virginia woman is still on the run five days after authorities launched a manhunt to bring her in on murder charges.

Katelynn Hipes, 22, is accused of killing 47-year-old Kevin Small, who was found dead on April 18 from a single bullet wound to the chest outside his home in Shipman, a city located approximately 100 miles west of Richmond.

The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office announced that a suspect had been identified that same day but did not release a name to the public, a decision they explained in a subsequent news release.

“The timing of that release may have ‘jeopardized’ our attempts to locate Ms. Hipes during the overnight hours, as well as hindered several components of the investigation, despite warrants having already been obtained,” the NCSO said in a release that following day that identified the suspect by name for the first time.

The NCSO also said at that time that the search for Hipes had expanded, and that they were in “communication with the law enforcement agencies serving the jurisdictions that Ms. Hipes may presently be located in.”

But five days later, there is still no sign of Hipes.

The NCSO says it is not revealing her ties to Small or what evidence they collected to warrant an arrest at this time.

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Court records show that Hipes has a lengthy rap sheet despite her young age, including four arrests for assault and battery, two of which involved a family member.

She was also arrested for violating a protective order in 2024, according to court records.

A hearing in her most recent assault and battery case was held April 16 in Nelson County in relation to an incident that allegedly took place on Feb. 15.

Despite those arrests she has never been convicted in one of her assault and battery cases, while her restraining order violation ended when prosecutors declined to pursue the case further.

Small was shot dead outside his home in Nelson County the following day, according to the NCSO.

Deputies responded to a report of an ‘unresponsive male’ on April 18, the NCSO said in a release.

They arrived to find a “male subject outside of the residence who had a single gunshot-wound to the chest cavity,” the NCSO said in a release.

Emergency medical technicians ultimately pronounced Small dead at the scene.

In a GoFundMe created to raise money for his funeral, Small’s family describes him as a “devoted son, brother, and uncle” who “never met a stranger.”