Couple who livestreamed discovery of suspected mass shooter’s body receives first reward

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT/Gray News) - The couple who found the body of a man accused in a mass shooting in Kentucky have received their first reward payment.

Fred and Shelia McCoy received $10,000 of their $35,000 reward Tuesday in Laurel County.

Officials said it is the first of several checks the McCoys will receive as part of the reward for finding the body of Joseph Couch.

The McCoys were livestreaming in Daniel Boone National Forest when they found the body, ending a 12-day manhunt that began almost two weeks ago.

On Sept. 7, police said Couch opened fire on I-95 in Laurel County, shooting and injuring five people. All of the victims survived.

State officials said a massive amount of resources were poured into the nearly two-weeklong manhunt. Hundreds of tips on the location of Couch were submitted to law enforcement, and more than 28,000 acres of Daniel Boone National Forest had been searched.

Just as local law enforcement agencies were being stretched too thin for the duration of the manhunt, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced some of the resources would be deployed back into the communities.

A day after the announcements were made, Couch’s body was discovered by the McCoys.

The two had been livestreaming in the woods for Shelia McCoy’s YouTube channel when they came across Couch’s body.

The McCoys had been searching for Couch for six days at that point in what they said originally started out as a “date night” idea.

The discovery was made just after the two had encountered two troopers in the woods around 3:30 Wednesday, Sept. 18.

City of London Mayor Randall Weddle and state trooper Scottie Pennington presented the McCoys with the check from WB Transport made out for $10,000 at a ceremony Tuesday.

“Their brave actions were instrumental in bringing closure to this tragic event, and we are deeply thankful for their assistance,” the City of London said in a post on its official Facebook page.

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