The remains of a man suspected of injuring five people in a shooting spree on a Kentucky highway earlier this month were discovered on Wednesday. The discovery was made by a couple who were livestreaming their search for the suspect on YouTube, according to state police. The remains, which were in a deteriorated state, are believed to be those of 32-year-old Joseph Couch. The identification was made based on the clothing found on the body, which matched the description of the suspect, as stated by Col. Phillip “PJ” Burnett.
The remains are currently being transferred to the medical examiner for official identification and to determine the cause of death. The discovery was made during a livestream by a couple who run the YouTube account “Hatfield McCoy Museum Adventures.” The couple, Fred and Sheila McCoy, have been credited by the Kentucky State Police for their role in the discovery.
Multiple agencies had been searching for the suspect, who was considered armed and dangerous, for over a week following the shooting on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky. Despite combing through 28,000 acres of dense woods in the Daniel Boone National Forest, the search had yielded no results until the McCoys’ discovery.
The McCoys, who describe themselves as “bounty hunters,” were livestreaming their search for Couch in the thick woods when they made the shocking discovery. The video shows the couple following circling vultures and tracking a foul odor through the heavy brush. Upon discovering the remains, Fred McCoy alerted nearby officers.
For their efforts, the McCoys will be awarded $15,000 from Laurel County Crimestoppers and an additional $10,000 from a private donor. The remains were found in the vicinity of Exit 49 in Laurel County, the same area where Couch had carried out his shooting spree.
Couch is suspected of shooting five people as they drove on I-75, causing a crash that injured two others. All victims survived, though some sustained serious injuries. A silver SUV registered to Couch and an AR-15 rifle were recovered near the exit early in the search.
Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting. Road rage has been ruled out as a factor. Couch is believed to have planned the attack in advance but chose his victims randomly. Prior to the shooting, neighbors reported that Couch had threatened them with a rifle and appeared to be mentally unstable.