Couple Captures Moment Body Found Amid Search for Sniper: ‘Oh, Mylanta!’

A couple will receive a $25,000 reward if the dead body they found on Wednesday is identified as Kentucky shooting suspect Joseph A. Couch.
Officials had been searching for Couch for 12 days at the time of the discovery. Fred McCoy and Sheila McCoy joined the search on the fifth day with hopes of earning some of the reward and putting the community at ease.
Couch, 32, is accused of shooting into vehicles about “30-feet down from the top of a cliff” near Interstate 75 in Laurel County on September 7. Five people were wounded in the shooting, all of whom are expected to survive. Two people were injured in a subsequent car accident.
The body has not been identified yet, but Kentucky State Police said they believe it belongs to Couch.
“We are very confident that tonight brings closure to the search for Joseph Couch. I want to thank all partners for their collaborative effort to bring this to a successful conclusion,” Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett said during a press briefing. “The people of Laurel County can rest much easier now that this manhunt has been concluded.”
Burnett said that if the deceased person is identified as Couch, the couple will receive a $15,000 reward from Laurel County Crime Stoppers and a $10,000 reward from a private donor.
“I want to recognize the McCoys, because they’ve been very cooperative with our troopers and providing troopers with relevant information,” Burnett said.
Burnett said that troopers were also searching in the area and noticed the vultures. As they closed in on where the vultures were circling, they detected a smell consistent with a decomposing body.
Troopers then heard voices and asked the individuals to identify themselves. The couple identified themselves as Fred McCoy and Sheila McCoy.
The McCoys and troopers found the body less than 15 minutes after that interaction.
The body is expected to be taken to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort on Thursday.
The McCoys livestreamed their search on their YouTube channel, Hatfield McCoy Museum Adventures. After 30 minutes searching through a heavily wooded area, the couple caught their discovery of the body on camera.
The couple had spotted a large number of vultures concentrated in one area and smelled a strong odor as they got closer.
“Oh! Got him! Here he is!” Fred McCoy called out.
Sheila McCoy then started to make her way over to the body.
“You found him?” Sheila McCoy said. “Oh, Mylanta!”
“You have to understand, this guy has been stressing this community out,” Fred McCoy told CNN. “Anyone who can sit up on top of a hill and take pop shots at cars is dangerous.”
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to lead the investigation into the shooting.
“I am very proud of the efforts and manpower used. All partners have gone above and beyond,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said. “Day one, my concern has been the residents of Laurel County and their safety. I hope our county can get back to what is normal.”
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