A gray backpack linked to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson found abandoned in Central Park yielded a jacket and some Monopoly money, but no gun, authorities said. It has been reported.
According to Bloomberg, the jacket was found in a backpack found in Central Park West on Friday. NBC News reported Saturday that Monopoly money was also found in the backpack.
The new information comes as authorities begin the fourth day of searching for Thompson's assassin. The businessman was shot with a suppressed pistol outside a midtown Manhattan hotel around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday.
Shocking video shows United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson shot dead in New York City
The Peak Design backpack was last seen by the NYPD on Friday in a pile of leaves in Central Park. The bag appears to match the description of the bag worn by the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on Wednesday morning. (Obtained by New York Post)
Thompson was walking to a Midtown hotel when a masked suspect fired shots in his back and fled the scene. Police believe the gunman left New York City by bus the same day.
Police have not officially confirmed that the newly discovered backpack is the same one seen on surveillance video that the suspect was wearing at the time of the killing.
Former NYPD cop 'skeptical' United Healthcare CEO gunman is professional, focuses on weapon of choice
Billboards posted around midtown Manhattan are asking for help finding a suspect wanted in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday. (Fox News)
Former FBI agent Scott Duffy told Fox News Digital that the body was taken to a lab in Queens for forensic testing, where trace evidence will be processed.
”[It’s] Hair and fiber processing [and] “DNA,” Duffy explained Saturday. “If he puts his hand on the strap and buckles it, like most of us do, we'll most likely find DNA there.” That and the zipper. ”
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The suspect who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is seen leaving the scene. (Amal Abdelmullah)
Investigators are also analyzing clues left behind by the suspects, including a water bottle and a discarded cell phone found at the scene. Shell casings with words such as “rejected,” “abandoned” and “delayed” were also found.
Former D.C. homicide detective Ted Williams said the Monopoly money in the backpack “is the killer playing a game with the authorities. It's all part of the cat-and-mouse game.”
“This killer knew there was a good chance the backpack would never be found, so he left a trail of breadcrumbs. [the] The authorities know he is in charge, not them. ”
Fox News Digital's Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
