Andrew Buncombe
19 September 2024 11:13pm
Fred and Sheila McCoy have dedicated much of their lives researching and documenting a notorious post-Civil War era feud that left many dead and terrorised a swathe of Appalachia.
So when a gunman who opened fire on motorists on a highway near their home went on the run, leaving locals terrified, it was perhaps not entirely surprising the former police officer and his wife would decide to join efforts to track him down.
Officials had also offered a reward of $35,000.
For five days the couple carried out their own search, as dozens of police officers spread out across the vast Daniel Boone National Forest, said to be larger than the cities of Los Angeles and New York City combined. As they did so, they live-streamed their efforts.
On the sixth day they found what are believed to be the remains of the suspected shooter, drawn in part by the sight of vultures hovering above, and a powerful smell. As they approached the spot, one of them kept the camera rolling.
“Oh, Lord, this is nasty. Oh, my goodness, this is gross,” says Ms McCoy, 59, as she warns her husband to watch out for snakes.
At the end of the video they discover the remains of suspected shooter, Joseph Couch, who disappeared 11 days before.
“Hey, guys, you won’t believe it, we found him, oh, my goodness gracious.”
Police said they have to carry out forensic tests to ensure the remains are those of 32-year-old Couch, who is believed to have opened fire two weeks ago on Interstate 75, near the town of London, about 140 miles from Louisville.
He had apparently texted someone that he intended to “kill a lot of people”, and had recently bought an AR-15 assault rifle and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
While he did not kill anyone, five people were seriously hurt, and the community was left in fear.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Thursday that once identification was confirmed it would bring to a “close a pretty scary time in that community and the surrounding communities”.
He added: “We have every reason to believe this is Joseph Couch. But a final and determinative identification has not yet been possible. There is DNA testing going on right now.”
The McCoys live a few counties over from where the gunman opened fire and because both had undergone surgeries, they are no longer regular hikers.
“For one week we turned into bounty hunters,” Mr McCoy, 66, told the Associated Press. “The more we was watching the news and saw lockdowns and school closings, the more we were compelled to search for him.”
He added: “We were just a crippled old man and crippled old woman walking in the woods.”
He told CNN the fugitive “has been stressing this community out”. He added:
“Now everyone can rest.”
Officials confirmed that the couple will receive the reward money.
Mr McCoy said he was a descendant of a Hatfield-McCoy marriage and they run a small museum related to the history of the feud between the families.
The story has sparked books, live shows and a History Channel miniseries starring Kevin Costner.
Until recently, the McCoys ran a small museum in the city of Liberty, which they said contained the largest privately-owned collection of Hatfield and McCoy artefacts, collectibles and memorabilia. Mr McCoy reportedly has a background in law enforcement, serving with the US Marine Corps and the police in Kentucky.
The museum’s website says: “Closed until further notice.”
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