Almost two weeks after five people were injured in a shooting on Interstate 75 in Laurel County, Kentucky, authorities revealed that the accused gunman had died.
Governor Andy Beshear and the state’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. William Ralston, announced on Friday that Joseph Couch, a rotting body located near the shooting location with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, was identified. According to a statement from officials, DNA had to be retrieved from the bone to be positively identified, delaying confirmation that it was him.
It was discovered days after a massive manhunt began for Couch.
Kentucky State Police conducted a press conference on Wednesday after two individuals discovered a body near Exit 49 — the spot where Couch is accused of opening fire and wounding five people — but could not formally confirm it was the accused gunman’s. It was too decayed to recognize. KSP reports that personal effects and a weapon were found alongside the body.
At first, authorities claimed they attempted to test DNA extracted from soft tissues. However, the body was too decayed to be positively identified as Joseph Couch. So the Kentucky State Police took DNA from bones and tested it, which might take up to 48 hours. Two days later, it was identified as Couch.
The search for Couch spanned more than 28,000 acres of Daniel Boone National Forest, with authorities believing he had been hidden in the woods for days following the shooting.
Before the shooting, authorities said Couch texted a contact that he intended to “kill a lot of people.” That person then alerted dispatchers.
Couch was officially charged with five charges of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault, with officials offering a $35,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Authorities stated the two civilians who discovered his body, Fred and Sheila McCoy, would get a $25,000 reward.