Body found near scene of Kentucky highway shooting is believed to be suspect Joseph Couch, police say

Kentucky State Police officials announced Wednesday, on the 12th day of a manhunt for a suspect wanted in connection with an interstate shooting that injured five people, that they had discovered a body not far from the scene.

Kentucky State Trooper Scottie Pennington said in a statement that investigators were working to determine the identity of the body found near Exit 49 in Laurel County.

Investigators were searching for Joseph Couch, 32, who they said was armed and dangerous and the prime suspect in the Sept. 7 incident on Interstate 75 near London, Ky.

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said 20 to 30 shots were fired from a hillside near I-75 Exit 49, hitting at least a dozen vehicles.

Couch was initially named a person of interest after officers found his SUV abandoned on a forest road near Exit 49, authorities said. An AR-15 rifle that Couch had purchased in the hours before the shooting and that investigators believe was used in the incident was also found in the woods near Couch’s vehicle, as was a bag with Couch’s name written on it, authorities said.

A day after the shooting, Couch was named the prime suspect.

In addition to searching the national forest, a tip this week prompted investigators to search a home in Laurel County, but found no evidence of Couch’s presence, authorities said.

Before the interstate shooting, according to the arrest warrant, a Laurel County 911 dispatcher received a call from a woman who claimed Couch had texted her before the interstate shooting and “told her he was going to kill a lot of people. Well, at least try.” The text was sent to the woman at 5:03 p.m. on Sept. 7, about a half-hour before the interstate shooting began, according to the arrest warrant.

“Couch sent another message to (the woman) “It said, in part, ‘I will kill myself afterwards,’ according to the arrest warrant.

The search Tuesday for Couch continued to focus on the thick woods of the Daniel Boone National Forest, according to Kentucky State Police.

State and federal crews have combed at least 28,000 acres of the more than 700,000 acres of national forest.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said additional state resources are being made available to assist with ongoing search efforts.

The manhunt led to the closure of local schools for more than a week. They reopened on Tuesday under heavy police surveillance.

“We will not live our lives in fear,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Tuesday.

The school district said in a statement that the reopening plan “prioritizes the safety of our students and staff.”