Dead man found hanging upside down from building after botched burglary attempt

VERSAILLES, Ky. — Officials in Kentucky said they are investigating the death of a man who was found dead and hanging upside down from a utility pipe in an apparent botched burglary attempt.

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According to the Woodford County Coroner, the man was identified as Paul Vernon Masters, 60, of Nicholasville.

The Versailles Police Department said it responded to a call at about 7:30 a.m. ET from a motorist. The person reported seeing a man hanging by his legs from a pipe that was connected to a building that houses multiple businesses, WDKY reported. The businesses included a Save A Lot, a Cluckers and a tax service office, according to the television station.

“This man was struggling, probably, and was doing something that none of us should do,” said Sichko. “But none of us are perfect.” https://t.co/tmaKGkqM6U
— FOX 56 News (WDKY) (@FOX56News) February 24, 2026

Investigators said that Masters was attempting to burglarize the building, according to WKYT. Police believe that Masters subsequently fell, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the subject gained access to the roof and was attempting to burglarize the building,” Versailles police wrote in a news release. “At some point, the subject fell and became stuck on the building’s utilities.”

Masters was lowered to the ground and taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the newspaper.

Masters’ attorney, John Reynolds, told WDKY that his longtime was “a good man” who battled drug addiction.

“Paul Masters was a good man and had a good heart,” Reynolds told the television station. “Unfortunately, he had a terrible drug addiction, which consumed him, and it obviously led to his death. But he was a good man, and I consider him a friend.”

Reynolds said Masters had a long history of burglarizing properties.

In October 2024, Masters was arrested after he was accused of entering a Lexington restaurant through its roof three months earlier and stealing a safe that contained approximately $6,700.

In May 2023, Masters was arrested in connection with two convenience store robberies in Nicholasville several months earlier.

Reynolds said that several of Masters’ cases were still pending in Jessamine County.

“People shouldn’t judge based upon somebody that’s suffering and having trouble in this world,” Reynolds told WDKY. “And Paul needed help. And unfortunately, he couldn’t get that help.”