The search for Kentucky highway shooting suspect Joseph Couch appears to have come to a close. A bounty-hunting couple stumbled across his body during a YouTube livestream.
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Authorities were looking for Couch after he allegedly shot and wounded five motorists on a Kentucky highway. The incident happened earlier this month. Now, authorities believe that they've found his remains. Couch disappeared into the wilderness near the highway following the shooting.
In a press conference, Col. Phillip "PJ" Burnett confirmed the deteriorated remains matched the description of Couch. The remains had similar clothing as Couch's
"We are very confident that tonight brings closure to the search for Joseph Couch. I want to thank all partners for their collaborative effort to bring this to a successful conclusion," said KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. "The people of Laurel County can rest much easier now that this manhunt has been concluded."
Of course, a medical examiner will have to confirm the identification. The medical examiner will also determine the cause of death as well.
Kentucky police say that a bounty-hunting couple found the remains. They run the YouTube account "Hatfield McCoy Museum Adventures." Police will pay them $15,000 from Laurel County Crimestoppers and $10,000 from a private donor.
Kentucky Highway Shooting Suspect Dead
If you have followed Fred and Shelia McCoy, then you probably saw the discovery in real-time in Kentucky. The couple stumbled across the body during a search for Couch. The couple followed vultures and tracked the smell of something dead.
"Oh! Found him!" he yelled out to officers. "Here he is!"
"Oh my lanta! You found him?" his wife, Sheila, asked
"He's deteriorated!" Fred shouted out. The live stream then cut away. Laurel County Sheriff John Root hopes things can return to normal now. However, he said that there are still plenty of questions. He wished that they could have found the alleged Kentucky highway shooter alive.
"I really wish we could have located Joe Couch and we would've had him live," Root said. "We could have asked him what his intentions were. Put him through the courts... prosecutors could have prosecuted him. Nobody on this stage would wish we found him in the condition we found him."
Meanwhile, the McCoys said they found the discovery by following this simple rule. "If someone is dead, there will be vultures. Follow the vultures," they said.
