LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — Almost two weeks after five people were wounded in a shooting on I-75 in Laurel County, Kentucky, authorities confirmed that the accused gunman was dead.
Governor Andy Beshear and the state's Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. William Ralston, said Friday a decomposing body found near the site of the shooting with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound was Joseph Couch. A release from authorities said DNA had to be extracted from bone to be positively identified, delaying confirmation that it was him.
It was found days after a large manhunt began for Couch.
Wednesday, Kentucky State Police held a press conference after they said a body was found by two civilians near Exit 49 — the location where Couch is accused of opening fire and wounding five people — but could not officially confirm it was that of the accused gunman. It was too decomposed to identify. Along with the body were personal effects and a weapon, according to KSP.
At first, authorities said they tried to test DNA taken from soft tissue. However, the body was too decomposed to conclusively identify it as Joseph Couch. So, Kentucky State Police extracted DNA from bones and tested it, a process that could take 48 hours. Two days later, it was confirmed to be Couch.
The search for Couch spread over more than 28,000 acres of Daniel Boone National Forest after authorities said they believed he was hiding out in the wooded area for days after the shooting.
Before the shooting, authorities also said Couch had sent a text to a person saying he was going to "kill a lot of people." That person then warned dispatchers.
Couch was formally charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault, and authorities were offering a $35,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Authorities said the two civilians who found his body, Fred and Sheila McCoy, would get $25,000 in reward money.