The remains of the man believed to be responsible for shooting and wounding five motorists on a Kentucky highway earlier this month have been discovered by a couple who were live-streaming their search on YouTube, state police announced today. Officials believe that the deteriorated remains belong to Joseph Couch, 32, based on clothes found on the body matching the suspect’s description, according to Col. Phillip “PJ” Burnett of Kentucky State Police.
The body was discovered by Fred and Sheila McCoy, a couple who run the YouTube channel “Hatfield McCoy Museum Adventures” and consider themselves bounty hunters. They were live-streaming their search for Couch in the thick woods when they made the shocking discovery on camera. The video shows the couple following vultures circling overhead and tracking a foul odor of “something dead” through the heavy brush when Fred exclaims, “Oh! Found him.
The remains were found in the woods “in the vicinity of Exit 49 in Laurel County,” which is where Couch unleashed his trail of terror. Police had recovered a silver SUV registered to Couch and an AR-15 rifle abandoned near the exit early in their search. Investigators are still searching for a motive in the mass shooting and said road rage was not a factor. They believe Couch planned the attack ahead of time but picked his targets at random.
Neighbors of the gunman said he had threatened them with a rifle and was not mentally well before the shooting. One neighbor’s three dogs were found dead after he had confronted Couch about throwing a rock at one of the pets. The couple behind the YouTube account will be awarded $15,000 from Laurel County Crimestoppers and $10,000 from a private donor for their discovery.
The body is currently being transferred to the medical examiner to make an official identification and determine the cause of death. The case remains under investigation as authorities continue to search for answers in this shocking incident.
