Authorities in Kentucky called off the manhunt for the suspect they believe was responsible for a mass shooting on a remote stretch of highway after they located a body deep in the woods—with the help of a pair of YouTubers.
On Sept. 7, a gunman opened fire on cars driving down I-75 in Laurel County, Kentucky. The terrifying attack left five people seriously injured, including one person who was shot in the face.
Investigators later identified the suspect as Joseph Couch, 32, after finding his vehicle parked on an access road near the crime scene. An affidavit later obtained by WHAS 11 revealed that Couch purchased an AR-15 style rifle and 1,000 rounds of ammunition the same day as the attack. He later texted a woman, who tipped off police, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.”
The shooting took place on a stretch of highway in the Kentucky woodlands with few businesses and no residences, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deputy Gilbert Acciardo said. “He couldn’t have picked an area that is any more remote and difficult for us to try and locate him,” Acciardo said.
On Wednesday, investigators announced they finally made a break in the case. Around 3:30 p.m., state troopers found an unidentified body in the Laurel County woodlands
“There were articles associated with the body, that at this time we feel is Joseph Couch,” Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said at a press conference Wednesday. “We’re very confident that this brings closure in the search for Joseph Couch.”
The body will be sent to a lab in Frankfort for positive identification, Burnett added.
Drivers stop on I-75 after reports of the shooting in Laurel County.
Mount Vernon Fire Department/Reuters
But authorities weren’t the only people in the woods searching for Couch on Wednesday. A couple who run a local museum dedicated to the legendary feud between the Hatfields and McCoys were also searching for the suspect.
“There was a couple—Fred and Shelia McCoy, that advised the troopers that they were also in the searching for Joseph Couch,” Burnett said. “Almost immediately after that interaction between the trooper and the McCoys, the troopers and the McCoys stumbled upon an unidentified body.”
Fred and Shelia, who also run a YouTube channel dedicated to the Hatfields and McCoys, live-streamed their search for Couch through the wilderness. Fred is also the retired police chief of the small town of Hustonville, Kentucky, he told the New York Times in an interview.
In a 30-minute live video, Fred and Shelia follow the path of vultures and a nauseating smell further into the woods.
“It has to be down in the hollow here,” Shelia points in the direction her husband is searching. Seconds later, he lets out a yell and proclaims “found him! Here he is! He’s deteriorated!”
Shelia’s camera captures a grainy image of the desiccated body, lying in the woods before quickly cutting out.
Burnett praised his law enforcement partners, including the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the National Guard—and also named the pair of live-streamers.
“I want to recognize the McCoys,” Burnett said. “They’ve been very cooperative with our troopers, and provided troopers with relevant information.”
