The body of what is believed to be a madman who shot and wounded five drivers on a Kentucky highway earlier this month was discovered by a “bounty hunter” couple during a YouTube live stream on Wednesday, state police said.
Authorities believe the “deteriorated” body is that of the suspect, 32-year-old Joseph Couch, because clothing found on the body matches the suspect's description, Col. Philip “PJ” Barnett said at a news conference. According to WLWT5.
Barnett said the body will be transported to the coroner for formal identification and to determine the cause of death.
Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies have been searching for the “armed and dangerous” man for a week and a half since the Sept. 7 shooting on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky, combing 28,000 acres of densely wooded Daniel Boone National Forest but have found nothing.
The couple behind the YouTube account “Hatfield-McCoy Museum Adventures” has been recognized for the discovery by Kentucky State Police and will be awarded $15,000 by the Laurel County Crime Prevention Association and $10,000 from private donors, local news stations reported.
YouTubers and self-proclaimed “bounty hunters” Fred and Sheila McCoy He was livestreaming his couch hunt. It was as they made their way through the deep forest that they captured the shocking discovery on camera.
The video shows Fred screaming as the couple chase a vulture circling overhead and follow the foul smell of “something dead” through the bushes.
“Yes! I found him!” he yelled, calling out to the nearest police officer. “Here he is!”
“Oh my Ranta! Did you find him?” his wife, Shelia, says in the video.
“He's getting worse!” Fred cried.
The camera then zooms in on a body lying on the dirt, with human legs clearly visible in the blurry image.
“Oh, that's disgusting!” Shelia screams while filming.
An off-camera police officer can then be heard yelling “No photos!” and Fred appears to take a photo of the body with his phone before the livestream ends.
The body was found in a wooded area “near Exit 49 in Laurel County,” the same spot where Couch carried out his terrifying act.
The suspect allegedly shot and killed five people and injured two others in a crash while traveling on Interstate 75. Authorities said all of the victims survived, but several were seriously injured, including one who was shot in the face.
During the initial search, police found a silver SUV registered to Couch and an AR-15 rifle left abandoned near the exit.
Investigators are still searching for a motive for the shooting but have ruled out road rage as a factor. They believe Couch planned the attack in advance but chose his targets at random.
Neighbors of the shooter said he had threatened them with a rifle and was mentally unstable before the shooting. Three of one neighbor's dogs were found dead after he accused them of throwing rocks at one of their pets.
