After 11 days of combing the Daniel Boone National Forest for suspected I-75 shooter Joseph Couch, Gov. Andy Beshear announced at a press conference Tuesday that, while the manhunt will continue, the focus has been shifted away from the initial search area.
“11 days ago, an act of violence and evil occurred where an individual believed to be Joseph Couch opened fire on Interstate 75 with the intent to kill as many people as possible,” Beshear said at the opening of the press conference, which was held inside the London Community Center. “But by the grace of God, and the skilled response of so many, Joseph Couch failed and no one was killed in this incident.”
Beshear went on to recount the initial steps that were taken by law enforcement officials as the manhunt for Couch got underway in a large section of the Daniel Boone National Forest located just off of Exit 49 near the Laurel and Rockcastle County line. Since that time, an estimated area of between 20,000-30,000 acres has been searched by hundreds of officers, K-9 units, and both manned and unmanned aircraft.
Still, even with all of these resources in play, the search for Joseph Couch has, as of press time Tuesday evening, resulted in no arrest or recovery of a body. For this reason, Beshear said that resources will be re-allocated back to the individual local communities moving forward.
“The goal of all of these activities has always been about what provides the best public safety,” Beshear said. “In the beginning it was to allocate most of our assets to the manhunt in the forest. As that has become less likely, the best plan now is to augment law enforcement into the communities where the people are.”
Although resources are actively being re-allocated away from the initial search area, Beshear assured that the search will continue in the Daniel Boone National Forest, and that cameras and aircraft are still being utilized to monitor those areas. For this reason, he advised citizens to continue avoiding these sections of the forest, as any movement that is picked up by surveillance cameras “could trigger a law enforcement response.”
KSP commissioner confirms lack of evidence in DBNF, thanks assisting agencies
Also present at Tuesday’s press conference was Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr., who confirmed that, after 11 days of searching the wooded areas off of Exit 49, no evidence has been recovered that would lead investigators to believe that continuing to focus search efforts in those areas will lead to Couch’s apprehension.
“Due to the lack of discoverable evidence in the Daniel Boone National Forest, we feel like it was best to move search efforts from that area to back out in our local communities,” Burnett explained. “We are re-allocating our assets, because we have had over 400 tips that have come in for us to follow up on, and the majority of those are outside of the national forest.”
“This is not a drawdown, just a re-allocation of resources,” Burnett reiterated, adding that, in total, approximately 130 KSP personnel have been dedicated to the search efforts, along with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Forestry Service, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, London Police Department, Laurel County Search and Rescue, and several other agencies.
Burnett also assured that KSP officials would continue working with local school superintendents to ensure the safety of students as they are returning to in-person classes this week.
Sheriff, mayor address citizens
Laurel County Sheriff John Root praised the teamwork of all involved agencies Tuesday, and expressed his gratitude for the help from the governor’s office in coordinating efforts to find Couch.
“Our number one priority has been the safety of our residents since day one,” Root said. “And it will continue to be until Mr. Couch is apprehended and brought into custody. We want everyone to know that this is still an active investigation. We will not rest until Mr. Couch is brought into custody.”
London Mayor Randall Weddle echoed Root’s sentiments, thanking all assisting agencies and volunteers, and acknowledging the “amazing amount of love that has been poured into this county.”
