Although authorities have witnesses, ample street footage and even DNA evidence, the nationwide manhunt for the gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is fraught with challenges for law enforcement as it stretches into its fourth day.
Since the attack at 6:46 a.m. Wednesday, details have come more clearly into focus. The assailant arrived in New York City on a bus from Atlanta Nov. 24, stayed at an AYH Hostel on the Upper West Side and likely fled the city via the Port Authority bus station.
The FBI has joined local police in the hunt, and a relatively clear photo of the suspect has been distributed so the public can do the same. Here are the breadcrumbs of evidence investigators are following.
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A map shows the known locations of the suspected killer of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. (Fox News)
1. A backpack discarded in Central Park
NYPD investigators found a backpack in Central Park West on Friday that they believe belonged to the suspect who killed Thompson. A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital it will be taken to a lab in Queens for forensic testing.
Retired FBI agent Scott Duffey explained the backpack will undergo “trace evidence processing.”
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A Peak Designs backpack found by the NYPD in a leaf pile in Central Park Friday, Dec. 6, 20204. The bag appears to match the description of the one worn by the gunman who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday morning. (Obtained by New York Post)
“[It’s] a process for hair, fibers [and] DNA,” Duffey said Saturday. “If he holds his hand against the strap and tightens the buckle like most of us do, that is where DNA most likely can be found. And zippers.”
2. A water bottle dropped at the scene
After ambushing Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown at 57th Street and 6th Avenue, the gunman took off down an alleyway. Investigators are now testing a water bottle they believe he dropped there for DNA evidence.
Still, Duffey said DNA will only be immediately useful if the killer has already been arrested within the United States and is in the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
“If CODIS is not a match, then that DNA means nothing until you have someone in custody [to compare it against],” Duffey said.
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