The suspect in the Kentucky highway shooting that occurred earlier this month is believed to have been found dead, according to Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip "PJ" Burnett, Jr. The body, likely that of 32-year-old Joseph Couch, was discovered off exit 49 of Interstate 75 in Laurel County, the same exit near which the shooting occurred. A weapon was also found with the body.
The unidentified body was discovered by two state troopers and a civilian couple, Fred and Sheila McCoy, who were also searching for the suspect. The McCoys, who were livestreaming their search on their YouTube account, Hatfield McCoy Museum Adventures, alerted the troopers after noticing vultures in the air and a strong odor of decomposing flesh. The troopers and the McCoys then stumbled upon the body.
Couch had been the subject of a manhunt since five people were shot on Interstate 75 on the evening of September 7. All five victims were expected to survive the shooting, which happened near London, a city with a population of about 8,000 outside Daniel Boone National Forest.
The body will be sent to the coroner in Frankfort, Kentucky, for positive identification. There was no word on a cause of death.