The man suspected of killing 18 people and wounding 13 in a shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, was found dead on Friday, ending a 48-hour manhunt in the U.S. state that followed the most lethal episode of gun violence in its history.

The body of Robert R. Card, 40, was discovered in the woods near the neighboring town of Lisbon, where police found his abandoned vehicle shortly after the shooting spree on Wednesday night.

"He is dead," Maine Governor Janet Mills told a news conference, thanking the hundreds of officers from various agencies involved in the search.

"Like many people, I am breathing a sign of relief tonight, knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone. Now is the time to heal," Mills said.

Several news outlets, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said Card died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officials said the U.S. Army reservist opened fire in a bowling alley and then a bar minutes later on Wednesday night.

The shooting is one of the deadliest in the United States since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 people.

The shootings and prolonged manhunt convulsed the normally bustling but serene community of Lewiston, a former textile hub and the second-most populous city in Maine.

Card, an Army Reserve sergeant from the nearby town of Bowdoin, has been described by authorities as a trained firearms instructor who served as a petroleum supply specialist when on duty at the military reserve base in Saco, Maine.

Law enforcement officials also said he has a history of mental illness and was committed to a psychiatric facility for two weeks during the summer of 2023, after which he was released.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: A photo of the armed suspect in the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, October 25, 2023. /CFP)