LONDON, Ky. — Taking us up an access road off Exit 49, Laurel County Sheriff Deputy Gilbert Acciardo brought WHAS11 News closer to the search for and investigation into Joseph Couch.
The office's local investigation into Couch revealed the suspect left behind a duffel bag with his last name on it near an AR-15 purchased earlier the same day in town.
"We ventured up into here and that's when one of the officers actually found the vehicle. We ran a registration on it and that's where we developed our suspect," Acciardo said.
Below a cell tower is where Laurel County Sheriffs say Couch ditched his vehicle before he took off through brambly trails, about 700 feet away, to a ridge overlooking I-75.
After scouring 28,000 acres for Joseph Couch, Kentucky State Police prepare to go through thousands more. Their field base is now further into Daniel Boone National Forest.
Kentucky State Police Master Trooper Scottie Pennington shared the force's belief that Couch, at one point, packed food. "He did early on, that's probably went and gone," Pennington said.
Thus far, state police have used drones and helicopters in addition to ground searches and vehicle patrols to find and contain the suspect.
"From the blind eye, you'd never know there's a cave or sinkhole or nothing, but they're out there," the state trooper explained, motioning out to the vast forest.
Drones scout the caves before troopers and dogs move through.
Now, state police are following a trail picked up by their canines sniffing out the wilderness.
"Not saying it was Mr. Couch," Pennington said, "but they were on a track of something for several days."
While police took hundreds of tips from abroad, none of them led them to believe Couch left the wilderness. KSP still thinks Couch is isolated and acting alone. Though they don't know if he's dead or alive, they have a message for him.
"You have destroyed our community Mr. Couch. Please, turn yourself in. If you got anything left in you as a man, turn yourself in to the Kentucky State Police, the sheriff's office, city police. Turn yourself in to anybody," Pennington pleaded.
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