Bounty hunter couple key to finding body in Kentucky highway shooting

Days aft a shooter attacked an interstate and disappeared, leaving a Kentucky organization frightened and connected guard, Fred and Sheila McCoy decided to lace up their boots for nan first clip successful a agelong clip and walk days successful rugged terrain searching until, finally, they recovered a body.

Kentucky State Police credited Fred and Sheila McCoy, who typically walk their retired days creating YouTube videos astir nan Hatfield-McCoy feud, pinch helping investigators find what they judge are nan remains of Joseph Couch. Couch, 32, is suspected of firing randomly astatine vehicles connected Interstate 75 connected Sept. 7, wounding 5 people. The fishy wrote successful a matter message, "I'm going to termination a batch of people. Well effort astatine least," according to an affidavit for his apprehension obtained by PapaRead News. All 5 victims were expected to past nan shooting.

The personification believed to beryllium Couch died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Kentucky's Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. William Ralston.  An autopsy performed connected Thursday "revealed nan origin of decease to beryllium a coiled accordant pinch a self-inflicted gunshot to nan head," Ralston said successful a statement. A limb was recovered pinch nan body, constabulary said. A soft insubstantial DNA trial was inconclusive connected nan recognition of nan body, and testing connected nan bones could return up to 2 days, Ralston said. A toxicology trial is besides pending.

Trees guidelines successful wooded areas alongside Interstate 75 adjacent Livingston, Kentucky, connected Sept. 8, 2024, arsenic constabulary hunt for a fishy successful a Sept. 7 shooting on nan Interstate. Timothy D. Easley / AP

Teams of local, authorities and national rule enforcement had searched tens of thousands of acres of woods since nan shooting. Authorities warned residents to beryllium other vigilant and some schools temporarily shifted to virtual learning. Laurel County Public Schools turned to region learning for 3 days, earlier resuming in-person learning. 

"For 1 week we turned into bounty hunters," Fred McCoy told The Associated Press connected Thursday. "The much we was watching nan news and saw lockdowns and schoolhouse closings, nan much we were compelled to hunt for him."

The find of nan remains calmed fears successful nan eastbound Kentucky organization of London, conscionable a fewer miles from wherever nan shooter perched supra nan road and opened occurrence pinch an AR-15. State constabulary said Wednesday nighttime that nan McCoys would person a $25,000 reward for nan find.

Once nan recognition is afloat confirmed, it will "bring to a adjacent a beautiful scary clip successful that organization and nan surrounding communities," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.

Vultures circling successful nan air

In a 30-minute YouTube livestream Wednesday, nan McCoys are filming successful dense woods aft they spot vultures successful nan air, and Sheila McCoy says she tin smell a foul odor.

"Oh, Lord, this is nasty. Oh, my goodness, this is gross," Sheila says while informing her hubby to watch retired for snakes.

At nan extremity of nan video, they observe nan remains. "Hey, guys, you won't judge it, we recovered him, oh, my goodness gracious," Sheila McCoy says successful nan video.

Police were besides searching nan area, and nan mates identified themselves to officers astir 12 minutes earlier they recovered nan remains. They'd besides warned constabulary and friends they'd beryllium there, and were livestreaming connected YouTube successful lawsuit thing went wrong, Fred McCoy said.

"We didn't cognize we was going to find him for illustration that," he said. "We could've recovered him pinch a weapon pointed astatine us."

The McCoys unrecorded a mates of counties distant from wherever nan shooter attacked. They hadn't gone connected a hike successful nan woods successful a agelong clip - Sheila, 59, had antecedently had backmost room and her husband, 66, had knee room - but they decided aft a Friday nighttime day to thief successful nan search, said Fred McCoy, himself a retired constabulary officer. He said nan mates has been joined for 39 years.

"We were conscionable a crippled aged man and crippled aged female stepping successful nan woods," he said Thursday successful a follow-up video. Fred McCoy said he is simply a descendant of a Hatfield-McCoy matrimony and they tally a mini depository related to nan history of nan feud. 

He estimated nan remains were astir a mile distant from wherever nan shooter opened fire. Nearby, constabulary recovered Couch's conveyance and an AR-15 past week.

The find of nan assemblage put adjacent residents astatine easiness aft much than a week of hostility pinch a gunman connected nan loose adjacent their homes.

"I consciousness a immense consciousness of relief," said Heather Blankenship, a mother of 3 who lives adjacent London. She saw nan assemblage successful nan McCoys' video, which has grown to astir a half-million views successful little than 24 hours, and moreover though her worry is gone and her consciousness of normalcy has returned, it's still sad, she said.

"I'm complete present relieved that to maine this monster is dead," but meanwhile, nan suspect's family is grieving, Blankenship said.

Authorities said nan shooter fired 20 to 30 rounds, creating chaos. The 5 victims survived, but immoderate suffered superior injuries.

Authorities said Couch purchased nan AR-15 limb and astir 1,000 rounds of ammunition astatine a London weapon shop hours earlier nan shooting.

Laurel County Judge-Executive David Westerfield sensed a corporate sigh of alleviation among residents.

"They consciousness for illustration they tin spell backmost to their normal lifestyle," he said.

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• Shooting
• Kentucky