The family of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO reported him missing last month, and his mother told authorities that her son could be the person seen in surveillance photographs the day before his arrest, according to law enforcement officials.
According to a missing people poster, the family of Luigi Mangione, the man police believe killed CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, reported him missing to San Francisco police on November 18, almost two weeks before the ambush killing on December 4.
According to the flier, Mangione’s mother last spoke with him on July 1 and he was working in San Francisco.
Mangione, 26, has been charged with murder in New York for Thompson’s death, which police believe was targeted and possibly motivated by Thompson’s job with the health insurance business.
The killing spurred a massive manhunt, which included the widespread sharing of surveillance photographs of a suspect and a $60,000 reward.
Following the death, a San Francisco police officer saw similarities between the pictures of the person of interest and the photograph of Mangione from the missing person report, according to several law enforcement officials.
According to the FBI, San Francisco police informed them about the possible identification of the individual in the photograph.
San Francisco police received the information on December 6, and two days later, on Sunday, they called Mangione’s mother, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case. She told authorities that the man in the image might be Mangione, they claimed.
The next day, Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being identified at a McDonald’s restaurant, according to officials.
Mangione’s mother, relatives, and attorney in Pennsylvania did not reply to several requests for comment on Friday.
Police in New York say they discovered a gun that was ballistically connected to the killing, as well as a handwritten document referencing the health insurance sector.
According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, shell shells discovered following the incident had the words “deny,” “delay,” and “depose.”
Following the murder, people online and elsewhere directed their rage at the United States’ health insurance sector and healthcare system, with some even posting “wanted” posters for at least two other CEOs. There have also been threats.
Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, which is the parent business of UnitedHealthcare, has condemned what he calls hatred in the aftermath of the tragedy and defended his organization’s conduct.
Witty wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times on Friday that the U.S. healthcare system “does not work as well as it should,” but that his organization is working to change it. UnitedHealth Group is the nation’s largest private health insurer.
Magione and his parents were both uninsured, according to UnitedHealth Group. Kenny believes the company may have been targeted due to its size.
Mangione is currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania, where he has been accused of firearms, forgery, and other crimes. He is currently contesting extradition to New York.
Mangione’s counsel stated that he would plead not guilty to all counts.
Mangione’s family stated in a statement following his arrest that they only know what they have seen in the news.
“Our family was stunned and grieved by Luigi’s imprisonment. We extend our condolences to Brian Thompson’s family and request that others pray for Luigi,” the family stated. “We are devastated by this news.”
Source: Mother of suspect in CEO’s killing told police person of interest could be her son, sources say