Gov. Andy Beshear announced about 4 p.m. Friday that Kentucky’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. William Ralston and the Kentucky State Police Crime Lab have confirmed that the unidentified body found Wednesday off Exit 49 is in fact that of suspected mass shooter Joseph Couch of Woodbine. The remains were positively identified through DNA extracted from bone.
“We appreciate everyone involved in the search and are grateful no one else has been hurt,” said Beshear. “We will continue to be there for those injured as well as the Laurel County community as they recover from this tragic situation.”
Couch is the suspect accused of shooting five people on Sept. 7 on I-75 in Laurel County. On Sept. 18, KSP troopers and two civilian individuals located a body in the deep brush behind Exit 49 in Laurel County. It was announced that the personal effects and weapon found with the body were consistent with the suspect, and the Laurel County Corner then transported the body to the medical examiner’s office for official confirmation.
“Due to extreme decomposition of the body, the soft tissue DNA test was inconclusive, but today we were able use bone from the suspect to get a positive identification,” Dr. Ralston said Friday. “I want to recognize the medical examiner’s office and KSP crime lab for working together and being diligent in obtaining positive identification so the commonwealth can move forward from this tragic situation.”
“I appreciate the medical examiner’s office and our crime lab personnel for prioritizing this case so that the citizens of Laurel County can begin their journey to healing and recovery, and the commonwealth can rest easy,” KSP Commissioner Burnett said. “This manhunt was the biggest team effort I have seen in my almost 30-year law enforcement career. We will forever be grateful for the assistance and resources provided by our local, state and federal partners.”
Thursday in a press release, Dr. Ralston released the cause of death as a wound consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The official autopsy report will not be available for release until toxicology results return.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office will continue to lead the 1-75 shooting investigation.
Hundreds of officers from various local, state and federal agencies took part in the search, which utilized everything from boots on the ground to search dogs, helicopters and drones.
On Sept. 7, Couch allegedly opened fire on I-75 from a ledge near Exit 49 with an AR-15 rifle he bought earlier that morning. A total of 12 vehicles were shot and five people were injured during the shooting.
About 30 minutes prior to the shooting, Couch texted a woman, who police identified as a girlfriend, writing, “I’m going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.” He then allegedly texted another message to her that read, “I’ll kill myself afterwards…,” according to the affidavit for his arrest warrants.
Prior to the shooting, the woman called London-Laurel E-911 dispatch center to warn them about the message Couch had allegedly sent her.
A few hours after the shooting, officers located a Toyota CHR in the Cromer Ridge area of Laurel County adjacent to I-75 at Exit 49. Records confirmed that the vehicle was registered to Couch.
Couch purchased the AR-15 rifle and ammunition from a London gun store the morning of the shooting for $2,914.40.
The next day, law enforcement conducted a search of the area adjacent to the location where Couch’s vehicle was found, which had a view of I-75.
Officers discovered a green army style duffle bag, several magazines of .223 caliber/5.56 mm ammunition, and numerous spent shell casings. A short distance from this discovery, officers located a Cobalt AR-15 with a Holosun sight mounted to it and several additional AR-15 magazines. An examination of the duffle bag revealed it had “Couch” handwritten in black marker on the bag.
Laurel County Sheriff’s Capt. Richard Dalrymple obtained an arrest warrant to charge Couch with five counts of first-degree assault and five counts of attempted murder in connection with the incident, but authorities were unable to locate Couch in order to arrest him.
