LAUREL COUNTY, KY - Authorities with the Kentucky State Police (KSP) believe they have found the body of the person suspected of going on a shooting rampage with the help of a couple who were livestreaming their search on YouTube.
According to NBC News, officials said that two state troopers and two civilians, Fred and Sheila McCoy, were simultaneously searching for the gunman in woods in Laurel County on Wednesday, September 18th, when they ran into one another. Soon after introducing themselves to each other, the group together found an unidentified body, believed to be that of Joseph A. Couch.
KSP Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said that there were "articles associated with the body" that led officials to believe it is in fact Couch. He said, "We are very confident that this brings the closure in a search of Joseph Couch ... The people of Laurel County can rest easy, much easier, knowing that this manhunt has now come to a conclusion."
Authorities have been searching for Couch since the shooting, which took place on September 7th next to Interstate 75. In that shooting incident, five people were seriously injured. At the time of the shooting, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said in a statement, "Deputies found nine vehicles had been shot into both north and south bound on I-75 and five persons were seriously injured."
All five people that were injured are expected to survive. Couch was named the person of interest shortly after the incident happened. At the time, he was described as white, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 154 pounds. Law enforcement officers found a vehicle during a search of the area where the shooting happened later that evening, which led them to identifying Couch as the person of interest. Upon searching the vehicle, officers found an AR-15 gun.
About a week later, when Fred and Sheila were livestreaming their search they found vultures circling the body. Burnett said that the vultures played a role in helping find the body. He said that troopers had been searching that area all day when they noticed vultures circling and while they were in the woods, they began to smell what appeared to be decomposing fish.
It was while the troopers were "moving through the thick terrain" trying to locate the smell and the area where the vultures were circling that they heard the voices of Fred and Sheila. Burnett said, "Almost immediately after that interaction between troopers and the McCoys, the troopers and McCoys stumbled upon an unidentified body."
Burnett said that the McCoys have been cooperative and have provided "relevant information" to troopers and that they will received he allotted money for helping to find the body. At a news conference, LCSO Sheriff John Root said that the incident that happened is "not the normal here in Laurel County." He said that now that the body has been discovered, he hopes that his county can get back to its normal.
He added, "Our one goal was to have this guy recovered." He noted that Couch's family has been cooperative throughout the search. The gun that was used in the shooting was an AR-15 rifle and it was purchased legally in London the day of the shooting, per authorities. Law enforcement said that the gunman parked near a ridge overlooking the highway and fired upon vehicles. He had around 1,000 rounds of ammunition, most of which has been recovered.
Couch is a former Army reservist. He has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. He has no prior criminal convictions. A charge of making a terrorist threat was dismissed back in March, according to Jackie Steele, a prosecutor for the region. Just before the shooting, a woman who shares a child with Couch called dispatchers in Laurel County with a chilling message.
According to a arrest affidavit, Couch wrote her, "I'm going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least." He followed up with, "I'll kill myself afterwards." As of this writing, investigators have not released a motive for the attack and have said that there is no indication that Couch was targeting anyone specifically or working with others.
According to NBC News, officials said that two state troopers and two civilians, Fred and Sheila McCoy, were simultaneously searching for the gunman in woods in Laurel County on Wednesday, September 18th, when they ran into one another. Soon after introducing themselves to each other, the group together found an unidentified body, believed to be that of Joseph A. Couch.
KSP Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said that there were "articles associated with the body" that led officials to believe it is in fact Couch. He said, "We are very confident that this brings the closure in a search of Joseph Couch ... The people of Laurel County can rest easy, much easier, knowing that this manhunt has now come to a conclusion."
Authorities have been searching for Couch since the shooting, which took place on September 7th next to Interstate 75. In that shooting incident, five people were seriously injured. At the time of the shooting, the Laurel County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) said in a statement, "Deputies found nine vehicles had been shot into both north and south bound on I-75 and five persons were seriously injured."
All five people that were injured are expected to survive. Couch was named the person of interest shortly after the incident happened. At the time, he was described as white, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 154 pounds. Law enforcement officers found a vehicle during a search of the area where the shooting happened later that evening, which led them to identifying Couch as the person of interest. Upon searching the vehicle, officers found an AR-15 gun.
About a week later, when Fred and Sheila were livestreaming their search they found vultures circling the body. Burnett said that the vultures played a role in helping find the body. He said that troopers had been searching that area all day when they noticed vultures circling and while they were in the woods, they began to smell what appeared to be decomposing fish.
It was while the troopers were "moving through the thick terrain" trying to locate the smell and the area where the vultures were circling that they heard the voices of Fred and Sheila. Burnett said, "Almost immediately after that interaction between troopers and the McCoys, the troopers and McCoys stumbled upon an unidentified body."
Burnett said that the McCoys have been cooperative and have provided "relevant information" to troopers and that they will received he allotted money for helping to find the body. At a news conference, LCSO Sheriff John Root said that the incident that happened is "not the normal here in Laurel County." He said that now that the body has been discovered, he hopes that his county can get back to its normal.
He added, "Our one goal was to have this guy recovered." He noted that Couch's family has been cooperative throughout the search. The gun that was used in the shooting was an AR-15 rifle and it was purchased legally in London the day of the shooting, per authorities. Law enforcement said that the gunman parked near a ridge overlooking the highway and fired upon vehicles. He had around 1,000 rounds of ammunition, most of which has been recovered.
Couch is a former Army reservist. He has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. He has no prior criminal convictions. A charge of making a terrorist threat was dismissed back in March, according to Jackie Steele, a prosecutor for the region. Just before the shooting, a woman who shares a child with Couch called dispatchers in Laurel County with a chilling message.
According to a arrest affidavit, Couch wrote her, "I'm going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least." He followed up with, "I'll kill myself afterwards." As of this writing, investigators have not released a motive for the attack and have said that there is no indication that Couch was targeting anyone specifically or working with others.
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