Law enforcement sources have indicated that family members reported Luigi Mangione missing in November, and CCTV footage of him raised suspicions.
The 26-year-old Mangione is currently in police custody after being detained and accused of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, aged 50.
Thompson was shot from behind on December 4 while heading to an insurance conference in New York City, just outside the Hilton Hotel.
After the shooting, video evidence of the crime began to appear on social media, prompting the police to request public assistance in identifying the accused perpetrator.
Authorities released images of a person they wished to question in connection to the shooting.
Officials apprehended the suspect when they found Mangione sitting at a table in the back of a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, wearing a blue medical mask and working on a laptop, according to documents.
The day before, Mangione’s mother reportedly contacted the FBI and the police with concerns about a possible link between her son and the person police were seeking.
This was after San Francisco police reached out to the FBI regarding the identity of the man in the photograph. They provided a tip on December 6, and police then contacted Mangione’s mother on December 8, according to law enforcement sources.
Following discussions with his mother, Mangione was taken into custody at the McDonald’s, officials stated.
Sources told the New York Post that Mangione’s mother recognized a resemblance between her son and the suspect in the images.
She had reported him missing to the San Francisco police on November 18, stating she had not communicated with her son since July 1 and was unaware of his location.
Nino Mangione, a Republican Maryland state legislator, shared the family’s statement on social media.
The statement said: “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.
“We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”
On Tuesday, December 10, the computer science graduate, who is believed to hail from a wealthy family in a Maryland community and was raised in Towson, near Baltimore, pleaded not guilty in court.
That same day, his defense attorney, Tom Dickey of Pennsylvania, addressed the media regarding his client.
He stated: “If the government charges a person with a crime they have to prove that, and they have to have some evidence.”