Kentucky’s chief medical examiner and state crime lab staff have confirmed through a DNA analysis the body found near the site of the Interstate 75 shootings in Laurel County is the shooting suspect Joseph Couch.
Chief Medical Examiner Bill Ralston in a Friday statement said DNA testing of the body’s soft tissue was inconclusive because of “extreme decomposition of the body,” but further tests of the body’s bone confirmed it was Couch. Ralston previously said the cause of death was consistent with a gunshot wound to the head. The official autopsy won’t be available until toxicology tests are finished.
“I want to recognize the medical examiner’s office and KSP crime lab for working together and being diligent in obtaining positive identification so the commonwealth can move forward from this tragic situation,” Ralston said in his statement.
The shooting along Interstate 75 in Laurel County wounded five people, who all survived their injuries, and led more than a dozen law enforcement agencies on a manhunt through rugged terrain that lasted nearly two weeks searching for Couch. A couple searching for Couch while live streaming on YouTube had originally found Couch’s body near the vicinity of the shooting.