Police say they believe they have found the body of a man suspected of being the gunman who opened fire on a highway that injured five people in Kentucky nearly two weeks ago.
A body was found during a manhunt in Laurel County, along with information that led police to identify it as that of suspect Joseph Couch, authorities said at a press conference Wednesday evening.
Officials have been searching for Mr. Couch since Sept. 7, when the 32-year-old allegedly opened fire on drivers on Interstate 75 before disappearing into the desert.
Police say they are still working to officially identify the remains.
Officials say the body was found after 15:30 local time (20:30 BST) when two state soldiers and two civilians encountered each other while searching for the suspect.
Both residents and officials were drawn by the vultures that were circling the area.
It is unclear how long the body had been in the wooded area and how the person died, officials said.
They plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death, they said.
An undisclosed weapon was also found in the area.
Local community members and authorities have been searching about 28,000 hectares (43 miles) of remote and rugged terrain near where the incident occurred.
“People were scared,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said Wednesday.
“That’s not normal here in Laurel County, so now that this has been discovered, I hope our county can get back to normal.”
This area is about nine miles (14km) from the city of London in southeastern Kentucky.
Two residents who helped find Mr Couch’s suspected remains are live-streaming couple Fred and Sheila McCoy.
The pair could receive a total of $25,000 (£18,900) in rewards for helping officers in their investigation.
Mr. Couch is said to have hit a number of vehicles traveling on both sides of the highway during the shooting.
While all five victims survived the incident, others were seriously injured, including one who was shot in the face.
Text messages sent by Mr. Couch shortly before the shooting indicated he planned to harm people, officials said last week.
“I’m going to kill a lot of people,” he texted, according to an arrest affidavit from the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. “Well (I’ll) try at least.”
Officials said Mr. Couch’s family was cooperating during the search.
Schools in the area were closed before the search began.
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