The backpack recovered by the NYPD that allegedly belonged to the suspect wanted in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, only had two items inside: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money, sources with knowledge of the ongoing investigation told ABC News Saturday.
The NYPD believes it is making good progress toward identifying the suspect but, as of Saturday evening, no identification has been made, sources told ABC News.
Investigators continued to comb through the city for evidence and clues for a fourth day to try and catch the unidentified fugitive. That included the use of police divers.
Officers searched a pond near Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, not too far from where the suspect’s backpack was found Friday night.
PHOTO: Members of the NYPD search the pond near Bethesda Fountain in Central Park for possible evidence tied to the shooting death of United Healthcare chief Brian Thompson, on Dec. 7, 2024. (Bill Hutchinson/ABC News)
Police have not yet recovered the distinctive gun used in the shooting. It is unclear if officers recovered any evidence from the water.
MORE: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect’s movements: A timeline of before, during, after the shooting
PHOTO: Members of the NYPD search the pond near Bethesda Fountain in Central Park for possible evidence tied to the shooting death of United Healthcare chief Brian Thompson, on Dec. 7, 2024. (Bill Hutchinson/ABC News)
New York investigators and the FBI continue to track the shooter’s movements after the Wednesday morning incident and have said that he left the city that day.
Some New York investigators arrived in Atlanta Saturday following tips that have come in about the shooter, according to sources. The Atlanta PD confirmed the arrival of the New York team but declined to give more specifics.
The suspect allegedly arrived in New York on a Greyhound bus that departed from Atlanta. Police have learned that the suspect took a taxi to the Port Authority bus facility at 178th Street and boarded a bus out of New York City following the shooting, according to police.
The bus the suspect is believed to have boarded out of the city made six or seven stops, and investigators have followed leads in multiple states, the sources said.
MORE: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting latest: Suspect left New York City by bus, police say
The killer entered New York City by bus on Nov. 24, when a surveillance camera at Port Authority Bus Terminal caught his arrival at 9 p.m., law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The inbound bus originated in Atlanta, but it was not immediately clear where the suspect boarded. Sources told ABC News he was spotted on board in Washington, D.C.
The 10-day period he was in New York City before the shooting is the focus of investigative efforts.
PHOTO: Thompson, the CEO of major insurance group UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death at point-blank range in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024. (ABC News)
The FBI is now assisting in a nationwide manhunt for the suspect, according to law enforcement sources, and the unidentified man remains at large in the wake of Wednesday’s attack, which was described by police as “brazen, targeted” and “premeditated.”
Police still do not have a name of the suspect, the sources said.
Meanwhile, citing the recent killing of Thompson, Centene, a major health insurer, said it would be moving its planned in-person investor day in New York City next week to virtual, according to a statement from the company on Friday.
“All of us at Centene are deeply saddened by Brian Thompson’s death and want to express our support for all of those affected. Health insurance is a big industry and a small community; many members of the CenTeam crossed paths with Brian during their careers,” said Centene Chief Executive Officer, Sarah M. London. “He was a person with a deep sense of empathy and clear passion for improving access to care. Our hearts are with his family and his colleagues during this difficult time.”
MORE: Who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? What we know about the suspect on the run
PHOTO: The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify this person wanted for questioning in the Midtown Manhattan murder of a CEO on Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD)
The masked gunman shot Thompson at point-blank range at 6:44 a.m. Wednesday outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson was heading for his company’s investors conference.
MORE: ‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’: Police investigating words found on shell casings in CEO shooting, sources say
PHOTO: A backpack recovered by police in Central Park during the investigation into the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Dec. 6, 2024. (Obtained by ABC News)
“The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. “It appears that the gun malfunctions, as he clears the jam and begins to fire again.”
Written on the shell casings were the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” according to police sources.
The words on the bullets echo the title of the 2010 book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.” Police are aware of the similarity, and are investigating whether one possible motive is anger at the insurance industry, sources said.
MORE: Fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson prompts wake-up call for nation’s executives: Experts
PHOTO: NYPD officers search Central Park for evidence in the CEO shooting, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York. (WABC)
Investigators believe they were able to score DNA samples from several pieces of evidence discovered at or near the crime scene, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The samples are currently at the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be run through databases for a possible match — a process that could take several days, the sources said.
PHOTO: UnitedHealthcare CEO Killed (Richard Drew/AP)
Police were also able to extract a fingerprint off a water bottle the suspect bought at a Starbucks, but the print is smudged so it’s not clear how helpful it will be, sources said.
UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting latest: Suspect’s backpack had Monopoly money: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
