Meet the YouTubers who decided to join the search for the Kentucky gunman -- and found him

Joseph Couch is pictured in an image provided by authorities. 

Community worries led a couple to join in the search for a shooter who fired shots at multiple people earlier this month on a Kentucky interstate. Fred and Sheila McCoy spent several days searching for the man until they found a body in the woods. 

The McCoys are retirees who spend their time creating YouTube videos about the Hatfield-McCoy feud, and the duo is credited by Kentucky State Police for helping investigators find what they believe are the remains of Joseph Couch, the shooter suspected of firing randomly at cars on Interstate 75 on Sept. 7.

Five people wounded in the shooting survived the attack, but some suffered serious injuries.

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In a 30-minute YouTube livestream on Wednesday, the couple filmed in dense woods and spotted vultures flying in the air, and Sheila McCoy says she can smell a foul odor.

They found the remains toward the end of the video as Sheila says "Hey, guys, you won’t believe it, we found him, oh, my goodness gracious."

Authorities searched the area, and the McCoys identified themselves to officers shortly before they found the remains. 

Fred McCoy estimated the human remains were a mile away from where the shooter opened fire. Nearby, police found Couch's vehicle and an AR-15 last week, the AP reported. 

Dr. William Ralston, Kentucky’s Chief Medical Examiner, told the Associated Press that the individual believed to be Couch died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Ralston also told the AP that a soft tissue DNA test was inaccurate on the identification of the body, and testing on the bones may take two days, with a toxicology test also upcoming. 

The discovery of the remains eased community worries after over a week of tension with a shooter on the loose near their homes.

Citing police, the AP reported that Couch bought an AR-15 gun and 1,000 rounds of ammunition at a local gun store hours before the shooting.


 

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