Initial DNA test of body believed to be of Kentucky's Sept. 7 mass shooter is inconclusive

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- An initial DNA test of a body believed to belong to Joseph Couch, the suspected gunman behind southern Kentucky's Sept. 7 mass shooting that left five people injured, was inconclusive, officials said Thursday.

Couch is accused of wounding five people and a striking dozen vehicles traveling down Interstate 75 in London, Ky., in a shooting on Sept. 7 before fleeing the scene.

Following a multi-day manhunt for the 32-year-old man, a body was found Wednesday near the crime scene, leaving authorities to believe it belongs to the suspect. Personal effects and the weapon found by the body are consistent with Couch, they said.

The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet said in a statement Thursday that a soft tissue DNA test had been conducted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. William Ralston but due to the "extreme decomposition of the body" results were inconclusive.

Next, officials plan to test DNA extracted from bone, which will begin Friday with results taking between 24 and 48 hours produce, it said.

An autopsy was also performed on the body Thursday by Ralston, who ruled the cause of death to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, which is consist with evidence pointing to the body belonging to Couch.

Amid the police investigation following the shooting, a woman who gave birth to a child fathered by Couch had previously told police that Couch had informed her he was going to "kill a lot of people" before taking his own life.

Ralston added that they are performing a toxicology test to verify if any drugs were present.