Body found near I-75 mass shooting site in Kentucky

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A man and woman searching for alleged gunman Joseph Couch discovered a body Wednesday near the site of the Sept. 7 mass shooting in southern Kentucky.

The couple, Fred and Sheila McCoy, said they searched for Couch, 32, for the past six days and used vultures circling overhead to locate the body, which they reported to the police.

Kentucky State Police announced a body was found near Exit 49 along Interstate 75 about 8 miles north of London, Ky., at 4:18 p.m. CDT Wednesday in Laurel County but are working to identify the remains.

A woman who has a child fathered by Couch told police he had contacted her and said he was "going to kill a lot of people" and would kill himself afterward.

Couch allegedly shot and wounded five people and struck a dozen vehicles with an AR-15 rifle he bought earlier on Sept. 7 in London along with 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Police recovered the firearm and most of the ammo and estimated he fired between 20 and 30 rounds while situated on a ridge overlooking the interstate.

Law enforcement used tracking dogs, helicopters and drones fitted with infrared technology in the search for Couch, who formerly was an Army reservist.

The area in which the shootings occurred is very remote and like a jungle, local police said.

Police also found Couch's vehicle after the shootings.

Couch, who does not have a criminal record, was charged with five counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree assault.

Police have not determined a motive for the shootings.

The McCoys posted a livestream of their search and discovery on YouTube and said they found a body they think is Couch's with the help of vultures and a foul smell as they approached the area over which the birds of prey were circling.

The video showed an unidentified body of an unknown gender wearing jeans and lying along the back of a hollow before someone out of the camera's view told the couple they can't record the crime scene, which ended the video.

Local authorities offered a $35,000 reward for information leading to Couch's arrest, which the McCoy's plan on collecting.

The couple used to operate the Hatfields and McCoys museum in Casey County, Ky., which is located about an hour east of the I-75 shooting site.

They say they are descendants of the McCoys and refer to themselves as "bounty hunters" in recent videos posted on their YouTube channel while searching for Couch.

Fred McCoy is a retired police officer.