Body found near Kentucky highway identified as shooting suspect

The body found Wednesday near the Kentucky highway where a gunman opened fire on Sept. 7 has been identified as the suspected shooter, Joseph A. Couch, officials said Friday.

In a statement, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the state’s chief medical examiner, Dr. William Ralston, and the state police forensic laboratory confirmed that the remains belonged to Couch, who was positively identified “via DNA recovered from bone.”

“We appreciate everyone involved in the search and are thankful that no one else was injured,” Beshear said in the statement. “We will continue to be there for those injured and the Laurel County community as they recover from this tragic situation.”

Ralston said in the statement that initial medical tests could not confirm the body was Couch’s.

“Due to the extreme decomposition of the body, soft tissue DNA testing was inconclusive, but today we were able to use the suspect’s bone to obtain a positive identification,” Ralston said. “I want to thank the coroner’s office and the KSP crime lab for their cooperation and their diligence in obtaining a positive identification so the state can move forward from this tragic situation.”

Ralston has said the cause of death was a wound consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Personal belongings and a gun were found near the body, officials said.

Authorities have been searching for Couch, 32, since the shooting along Interstate 75 in Kentucky that seriously injured five people.

On Wednesday, officials reported that two state police troopers and two civilians simultaneously found a body while separately searching for Couch in the woods of Laurel County.

There were “items associated with the body” that led officials to believe the body was Couch’s, and Kentucky State Police Col. Phillip Burnett Jr. said at the time that officials were “very confident that this would conclude the search of Joseph Couch.” Burnett said the “items” included personal items and a weapon that matched the suspect.

It is not clear how long Couch’s body had been there or how far the body was found from the crime scene, which is eight miles north of the city of London.

Couch was charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault. He had no prior criminal convictions; a charge of making a terroristic threat was dropped in March, said Jackie Steele, the county’s district attorney.

A motive for the shooting remains unclear. Officials have said there is no evidence Couch specifically targeted anyone or worked with others.

The couple who helped find the body, identified by police as Fred and Sheila McCoy, were live streaming their search on YouTube when they found the body on Wednesday.

Police also emphasized the role vultures played in finding the body.

Burnett said Wednesday that troopers had been searching the wooded area all day when they saw vultures circling overhead. As searchers approached the area, they began to smell what sounded like decomposing flesh.

As the search team “moved through the dense terrain” to locate the scent and the exact area where the vultures were circling, they heard voices belonging to the McCoys.

“Almost immediately following the confrontation between the officers and the McCoys, the officers and the McCoys encountered an unknown body,” Burnett said Wednesday.

Couch, an Army reservist, used an AR-15 rifle in the shooting. He purchased the rifle legally in London on the day of the shooting, authorities said.

The gunman parked near a ridge overlooking the highway with the intention of shooting at vehicles below, law enforcement officials said. He had about 1,000 rounds of ammunition, most of which were recovered.

According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, 12 vehicles were hit and an estimated 20 to 30 bullets were fired. Some drivers did not realize their car had been hit until hours after the shooting occurred.

Just before the shooting, Couch texted a woman with whom he shares a child: “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well, try it.”

The woman called Laurel County dispatch to report the messages.

He continued: “Then I’ll commit suicide.”