Authorities have witnesses, extensive street footage and even DNA evidence, but the nationwide manhunt for the gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues into its fourth day, posing challenges for law enforcement. It is full of fruit.
Details have become clearer since the attack, which occurred at 6:46 a.m. Wednesday. The perpetrator is believed to have arrived in New York City by bus from Atlanta on November 24th, stayed at the AYH hostel on the Upper West Side, and then fled the city via a Port Authority bus stop.
The FBI joined local police in the investigation and distributed relatively clear photos of the suspect, allowing the public to do the same. Here are the breadcrumbs of evidence investigators are following.
UnitedHealthcare CEO calls suspect just before shooting Who shot suspect?
Map shows known locations of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder suspect. (Fox News)
1. Backpack abandoned in Central Park
NYPD investigators found a backpack believed to belong to Thompson's murder suspect in Central Park West on Friday. Law enforcement officials told Fox News Digital that the body will be taken to a lab in Queens for forensic testing.
Former FBI agent Scott Duffy explained that the backpack will undergo “trace evidence processing.”
FBI and NYPD offer reward of up to $60,000 for information on UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer
A Peak Design backpack 4 was discovered by the NYPD on a pile of leaves in Central Park on Friday, December 6, 2020. The bag appears to match the one worn by the gunman who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday morning. (Obtained by New York Post)
”[It’s] Hair and fiber processing [and] “DNA,” Duffy said Saturday. “If he puts his hand on the strap and buckles it, like many of us do, that's where the DNA is most likely to be found.” And the zipper. ”
2. A water bottle fell on the scene.
After ambushing Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown at 57th Street and Sixth Avenue, the gunman fled into an alley. Investigators are currently conducting DNA tests on the water bottle they believe he dropped there.
Still, Duffy said DNA would only be immediately useful if the killer had already been arrested in the United States and registered with the National Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
“If CODIS doesn't match, that DNA doesn't mean anything until we have someone in custody.” [to compare it against]” Duffy said.
UnitedHealth CEO assassin left message to 'make a statement' or 'get rid of the police': Detective
Surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows a suspect wanted in the shooting death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department)
Genealogy DNA profiles can be set up to match existing DNA profiles submitted to ancestry websites, but the lengthy process may take too long to catch the killer in its entirety. There is.
“A genetic match would provide a family profile, but investigators [then] We need a driver's license, a photo, and a criminal record,'' Duffy said.
Duffy said the family tree will be useless unless other clues are uncovered.
“But let's just say the family game will be in Atlanta. I believe the bus arrived from Atlanta, so that could be the start,” Duffy said.
3. Abandoned cell phone
A mobile phone believed to belong to the suspect was also found in the alley he used to escape.
A video has also been released showing an unidentified man holding a cell phone to his ear 15 minutes before the shooting.
“If he really was on the phone at the time, his phone was busy, so you can [collect data from] cell phone tower. You'd need a search warrant to do that, and that's a lot of data,” former New York City police officer and FOX News contributor Paul Mauro previously told FOX News Digital.
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/United Health Group)
“You've got the video, you've got a pretty good location and time. So what does it do? [is] Place the phone within a specific cell grid and examine the data at the time the call appears to have been made. If you look up the calls made there, by process of elimination you will not only get the phone number assigned to that call. Mauro added: “You're going to know who he called. And now you have a real data point.”
But breaking into a cell phone can take anywhere from seconds to weeks, Duffy said.
Some devices can be unlocked instantly using technology like Cellebrite. When you connect this technology to a phone, “everything on that phone can be downloaded into a nice, readable, usable product,” Duffy said.
However, the process becomes longer when law enforcement needs to contact the service provider, such as when it is difficult to bypass biometric security. Duffy said some companies are more amenable to law enforcement action than others because they prioritize security reputations and the integrity of their security practices over investigations.
4. Bullet casing with message
Three shell casings were left at the scene with the words “reject,” “abandon,” and “delay” written on them, similar to words commonly used in the medical industry: “delay, deny, defend.”
DNA evidence may be examined from these cases, and messages left there may point to a motive.
An NYPD detective told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the words were “clearly left on purpose to leave a statement.”
On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, in New York, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed on the sidewalk outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan. (Stephen Jeremiah/Associated Press)
“This will help determine the motive; In the end, the suspect is the detective said.
Alternatively, Ted Williams, a former homicide detective in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital that the messages could have been left to “get the investigators out.”
5. Cheating interactions caught on camera
The clear images of the suspect were taken at the AYH hostel where he stayed between November 24 and 27. Other guests at the hostel said he always wore a mask, only pulling it aside when he ate and smiling as he chatted with the receptionist.
Facial recognition software has come a long way in the past 20 years, Duffy said, but the images likely aren't sharp enough to get a fairly small pool of matches.
Duffy, who used an early version of facial recognition on a bank robbery a decade ago, told Fox News Digital that “still images can easily skew away from what a person really looks like.” “Due to improper video recording, there may be slight distortion.”
A screenshot of surveillance footage released by the New York City Police Department shows a person wanted in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
Mr Duffy said certain “points” were required to match the photo to existing driver's license or passport photos. He said that's why travelers can no longer smile in their passport photos.
“If you took a high school yearbook photo and turned it in without glasses or covering anything, that person would be driving in a state that allows law enforcement to use facial recognition technology.” If you have a photo of your driver's license or passport, you'll definitely hit it off,'' he said. “Right now I'm taking grainy photos. That's not enough.”
But he said the images are likely good enough that members of the public who recognize the shooter may come forward.
A screenshot of surveillance footage released by the New York City Police Department shows a person wanted in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
6. Surveillance video
The NYPD has access to over 18,000 security cameras through the Domain Awareness System. But reviewing that footage can be a daunting task, in addition to eliciting additional oversight from businesses in the killer's path.
“Digital Video Recovery Team” [are] Detectives who train, go out and collect surveillance video from doorbells, cameras, and every camera in town. [to gather evidence] Whatever equipment they have. It can be downloaded instantly, saved to a forensic thumb drive, taken back to police, and uploaded quickly and easily,” Mr Duffy said.
A screenshot of surveillance footage released by the New York City Police Department shows a person wanted in connection with the shooting death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“That's a hassle,” he said. “I have also participated in it, [and] The entire team must be committed to monitoring [footage] Probably 24/7. ”
Duffy said investigators are likely searching for footage from when the assailant first arrived in the city, about 10 days before the shooting, in case a clearer image of his face exists. said.
