A retired couple who decided to become bounty hunters for a week found the body of what authorities believe to be a gunman who was shooting people down an interstate highway, it was later revealed Thursday.
After the shooter fled, terrorizing a Kentucky community and law enforcement searching, Fred and Sheila McCoy decided to delve into the rugged terrain in search of what were widely believed to be the gunman’s remains.
Kentucky State Police have now credited the McCoys with helping investigators find what they believe are the remains of Joseph Koch. Koch, 32, is suspected of shooting randomly at vehicles on Interstate 75 on Sept. 7, injuring five people.
Local, state and federal law enforcement teams have combed tens of thousands of acres of forest since the shooting. Officials warned residents to be extra vigilant and some schools temporarily switched to virtual learning.
“We became bounty hunters for a week,” Fred McCoy told the Associated Press on Thursday.
The discovery of the remains calmed fears in the eastern Kentucky community of London, where a few miles away, he sat above the highway and opened fire with an AR-15. State police said Wednesday night that they would offer a $25,000 reward for the McCoys.
Once the identification is fully confirmed, it will bring “a pretty scary time for that community and the surrounding communities,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. He said there was every reason to believe that the remains were Cochin.
In a 30-minute YouTube livestream Wednesday, the McCoys were spotted in thick woods, and Sheila McCoy said they smelled a foul smell after seeing eagles in the air.
At the end of the video, they find the remains, not knowing if they will stumble upon a body or someone alive, armed and dangerous.
