FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Governor Andy Beshear confirmed Friday that the body found in Laurel County has been positively identified as Joseph Couch through DNA testing, according to a release from the Justice & Public Safety Cabinet. The identification was made possible by extracting DNA from bone tissue, concluding the intensive manhunt for the suspect involved in the…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Governor Andy Beshear confirmed Friday that the body found in Laurel County has been positively identified as Joseph Couch through DNA testing, according to a release from the Justice & Public Safety Cabinet. The identification was made possible by extracting DNA from bone tissue, concluding the intensive manhunt for the suspect involved in the September 7th shooting on Interstate 75.
“We appreciate everyone involved in the search and are grateful no one else has been hurt,” Governor Beshear said in the release. “We will continue to be there for those injured as well as the Laurel County community as they recover from this tragic situation.”
The body was discovered on September 18 in a dense brush area behind exit 49 by Kentucky State Police (KSP) troopers and two civilians. According to KSP, personal effects and a weapon found at the scene were consistent with those known to be possessed by Couch. We reported Thursday, that, due to severe decomposition, soft tissue DNA tests were inconclusive.
“Today we were able to use bone from the suspect to get a positive identification,” explained Dr. William Ralston, Kentucky’s Chief Medical Examiner, in the release. He commended the cooperation between the medical examiner’s office and the KSP crime lab in making the identification.
Dr. Ralston also noted that the cause of death was consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, although the official autopsy report awaits toxicology results.
According to the release, the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office will continue to lead the investigation into the shooting incident on I-75.