Investigators believe they have found the body of the shooting suspect on a Kentucky highway, police said

CNN
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Investigators believe they have found the body of a man suspected of shooting five people and a dozen cars on a Kentucky highway this month, state police said Wednesday, ending an 11-day manhunt that stretched deep into the sprawling Daniel Boone National Forest and left surrounding communities in turmoil.

The body, believed to be Joseph Couch, was found Wednesday afternoon in thick brush near Interstate 75 northwest of London by two civilians and two police officers searching for him, Kentucky State Police Chief Phillip Burnett Jr. said.

Investigators believe the body is Couch’s based on items associated with the remains, Burnett said. The body will be sent to the state capital on Thursday for positive identification, the commissioner said.

“We are very confident that the search for Joseph Couch is now complete,” Burnett said. “The people of Laurel County can rest easy… and that is much easier now that they know that this manhunt is over.”

The cause of death was not initially disclosed.

Couch, perched on the ledge of a cliff, fired an AR-15 at cars on Interstate 75 in Laurel County near London in the early evening of Sept. 7, shortly after texting a woman saying he was going to try to “kill a lot of people,” authorities said.

Five people were treated in hospital for gunshot wounds. The shooting caused authorities to close the highway for hours and sparked a manhunt that led to schools being temporarily closed and investigators urging residents to avoid the wilderness.

The body was found near Exit 49 on I-75 in Laurel County, about 10 miles northwest of London, state police said Wednesday. Authorities previously said they found a vehicle registered to Couch on a forest road near Exit 49 with an empty gun case inside. During the search, investigators also found – in a wooded area next to the highway – an AR-15 that they believe was used in the attacks, authorities said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.