Police Say Body Found in Southeastern Kentucky Is Likely That of Highway Shooting Suspect

I-75 highway after reports of multiple people shot north of London, Ky., on Sept. 7, 2024. Laurel County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters

Police said that a body discovered in rural southeastern Kentucky on Sept. 18 is likely that of the man suspected of shooting and wounding five people and striking 12 vehicles on an interstate highway near London earlier this month.

The discovery ends a nearly two-week manhunt for the suspect, 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch.

During the search, teams combed through 28,000 acres of land, mainly within the Daniel Boone National Forest, using search dogs, a helicopter, and drones.

At a news conference, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said the unidentified body was located at about 3:30 p.m. in “deep brush” behind exit 49 of the highway, where the shooting on Sept. 7 initially took place.

The body was found by two troopers and two civilians who were looking for Couch, he said.

Troopers had been searching in that same area all day after noticing “vultures in the air,” according to Burnett.

Authorities found items with the body that are believed to have belonged to the suspect, Burnett said.

He added that the body is being sent to a medical examiner in Frankfort—the state’s capital—for identification.

In the meantime, law enforcement officials will continue to examine the area where the body was found, the commissioner said.

Residents Can ‘Rest Easy,’ Police Say

“We’re very confident that this brings closure in the search for Joseph Couch,” Burnett stated. “The people of Laurel County can rest easy, much easier, knowing that this manhunt has now come to a conclusion.”

Burnett also thanked the two civilians who helped discover the body, noting that they would be rewarded $25,000.

Law enforcement officials, including Burnett, did not provide further details regarding the cause of death or how long the body had been there. Police also did not comment on what articles were found alongside the body.

Earlier, police alleged that Couch opened fire at traffic near Interstate 75, roughly nine miles north of London, at about 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 7, shooting 20 to 30 rounds and hitting a dozen vehicles and wounding five people, all of whom survived.

Couch was identified as a suspect in the shooting after authorities recovered his SUV on a service road near the crime scene.

Police later found a gun nearby that they believe was used in the shooting.

Authorities described Couch as a white male, approximately 5-foot-10, and weighing approximately 154 lbs, from Woodbine, Kentucky, warning that he should be “considered armed and dangerous.”

The motive for the shooting was not clear, and the incident sparked widespread concern among citizens and caused schools and churches to shut down.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root said at the news conference that the discovery of the body was not the outcome authorities had hoped for.

“I don’t think nobody on this stage wished that we would have found him in the condition that we found,” Root said. “I'd rather he’d been alive and he could have paid for what he’s done.”

Melanie Sun and The Associated Press contributed to this report.