Current:Home > Contact-usHuman remains in Kentucky positively identified as the Kentucky highway shooter-InfoLens
Human remains in Kentucky positively identified as the Kentucky highway shooter
View Date:2024-12-23 16:11:05
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Human remains found Wednesday in Kentucky were positively identified as the man who shot 12 vehicles and wounded five people on Interstate 75 more than a week earlier, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday.
The retired couple who found the remains of Joseph Couch typically spend their days creating YouTube videos about the Hatfield-McCoy feud but told The Associated Press they “turned into bounty hunters” for a week.
Because the body was in an extreme state of decomposition, Couch could not be positively identified right away. Although personal effects and weapons found with the body pointed to Couch, a soft tissue DNA test was inconclusive, Kentucky Chief Medical Examiner William Ralston said in a news release. Ralston’s office used bone to get a positive identification Friday. The cause of death was a wound consistent with a gunshot to the head.
The shooting led to an intensive search in a rugged, hilly area of southeastern Kentucky near London, a community of about 8,000 people some 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington. Several school districts were closed during the search and residents said they took extra precautions, such as not allowing children to play outside.
“We appreciate everyone involved in the search and are grateful no one else has been hurt,” Beshear said in the news release announcing the positive identification. “We will continue to be there for those injured as well as the Laurel County community as they recover from this tragic situation.”
veryGood! (321)
Related
- 'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
- Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day is back: How to get free ice cream at shops Tuesday
- Massachusetts official warns AI systems subject to consumer protection, anti-bias laws
- Israel locates body of teen whose disappearance sparked deadly settler attack in the West Bank
- 'Joker 2' actor pans DC sequel as the 'worst film' ever: 'It has no plot'
- Tuition and fees will rise at Georgia public universities in fall 2024
- 'Justice was finally served': Man sentenced to death for rape, murder of 5-year-old girl
- Affidavit: Daughter’s boyfriend of whom Atlantic City Mayor disapproved recorded abuse in video call
- Patricia Heaton criticizes media, 'extremists' she says 'fear-mongered' in 2024 election
- Home values rising in Detroit, especially for Black homeowners, study shows
Ranking
- Kathy Bates likes 'not having breasts' after her cancer battle: 'They were like 10 pounds'
- Idaho Murder Case: Truth About Bryan Kohberger’s Social Media Stalking Allegations Revealed
- IRS reprieve: Places granted tax relief due to natural disasters
- Idaho Murder Case: Truth About Bryan Kohberger’s Social Media Stalking Allegations Revealed
- 2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
- Alabama Barker Shuts Down “Delusional” Speculation About Her Appearance
- Katy Perry Has Hilarious Reaction After Her Top Breaks Off on Live TV
- Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan divorce: Former couple battle over 'Magic Mike' rights
Recommendation
-
Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
-
'Error 321': Chicago QR code mural links to 'Tortured Poets' and Taylor Swift
-
Low Wages and Health Risks Are Crippling the U.S. Wildland Firefighting Forces
-
Supreme Court appears divided over obstruction law used to prosecute Trump, Jan. 6 rioters
-
She's a trans actress and 'a warrior.' Now, this 'Emilia Pérez' star could make history.
-
Suspect arrested after allegedly killing a man at a northern New Mexico rest stop, stealing cars
-
Here’s what a massive exodus is costing the United Methodist Church: Splinter explainer
-
Travis Kelce to host celebrity spinoff of 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'