Police

3:22 PM PT -- According to CNN ... an NYPD spokesperson says a backpack found in Central Park is being investigated as possibly belonging to the suspect wanted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

As TMZ reported yesterday, the backpack appears to be an Everyday Backpack from Peak Design ... a bag meant for serious photographers but designed for casual use as well.

The manhunt for the suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan is expanding beyond New York City ... because cops think he fled the Big Apple.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tish told CNN that NYPD investigators have reason to believe the suspect is no longer in town.

As we reported ... police believe the gunman arrived in NYC last month on a bus from Atlanta and shacked up in a hostel, using a fake ID to check in, before Wednesday's shooting outside a Manhattan hotel.

The suspect who killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have disappeared into Central Park after the shooting Wednesday morning in a premeditated attempt to evade cameras ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... The suspect rode an e-bike on Center Drive into Central Park after the shooting seemingly with the knowledge the multi-block blackout area would provide cover as he disposed of evidence.

We're told there are no surveillance cameras INSIDE the park, but there are some at the entrances and exits of the famous Manhattan oasis. This may surprise many people in a city known for its multitude of cameras on streets and businesses everywhere.

Following the execution of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by a gunman in NYC, the insurance company and several competitors have scrubbed online bios of their execs.

UnitedHealthcare’s "About Us" page used to display the resumes of its senior leadership, including Thompson's, but now users are redirected to a generic tab solely covering background info about the corporation.

Other health insurers have followed suit ... Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield's 25 plus executive profiles have been wiped from its "About Us" page.

The main suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have possibly stayed in a hostel, but it looks like he had some money ... 'cause he had an expensive backpack with him.

The backpack appears to be an Everyday Backpack from Peak Designs ... a bag meant for serious photographers but designed for casual use as well.

According to reports, it's not a new model of the backpack ... with some saying there's a good chance the bag was purchased between 2016 and 2019.

The NYPD has released 2 photos of a man they call a "person of interest" in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... and the man bears a striking similarity to the killer.

The photos certainly appear to be the assassin ... the nose of the killer caught on surveillance video looks identical to the man in the new photos.

The new photos reveal almost all of his face ... he is not wearing the mask the assassin wore during the shooting.

The masked assassin who took out UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was caught on camera casually chatting on the phone just minutes before pulling the trigger, new video shows.

Surveillance footage shows a man decked out in the same dark outfit -- hat, ski mask, and gray backpack -- holding a phone to his ear as he strolled east on 54th Street toward the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue around 6:30 AM Wednesday -- just 15 minutes before the fatal shooting.

The NYPD said the killer showed up about 5 minutes before the attack, lying in wait for his target. When the moment came, he used a gun with a silencer to fire the shots that killed Thompson.

Hannah Kobayashi's aunt says the family is unsure what exactly is happening with her, even though police say she crossed the border into Mexico.

Larie Pidgeon joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and she told us law enforcement is not showing them footage of Hannah leaving the United States.

Cops say Hannah was alone and she was traveling with her luggage when she crossed the border and there's been no evidence of human trafficking or any criminal activity ... but Larie's not ready to rule any of that out.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann accuse the other of stealing and spying in new police body cam footage from their latest police interaction in Georgia ... with cops telling them they can't keep coming to keep the peace in their nasty divorce.

TMZ obtained the police footage from the November 18 incident at the estranged couple's mansion in Milton ... where they were living together before their home went up for auction.

In the video, Kim tells cops she was at the home trying to get her stuff to move out ... and she accuses Kroy of stealing her iPad and some security cameras.

5:45 PM PT -- The LAPD tells TMZ ... "The City of Bloomington, Minnesota Police Department examined the drives in question and determined they contained nothing of evidentiary value. The LAPD has never listened to, or been in possession of, these drives."

2:42 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bloomington Police accessed the thumb drives and determined there was no confession by O.J. Simpson.

We're told ... not only was there no confession, there was no O.J. on any of them -- it was just Iroc Avelli talking to himself.

New twist in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman ... police claim they have reason to believe they have a recording of O.J. Simpson confessing to the murders.

According to a new search warrant, obtained by TMZ, cops in Minnesota say they have a thumb drive they were told has a recording of O.J. admitting to the double murder of Nicole and Ron.

What's more, police say they've been told the recording also features O.J. implicating an unknown third party.

Hannah Kobayashi's aunt is grateful cops spotted the missing photographer crossing the border into Mexico, but says she still believes her niece is in danger, and she's refusing to call off the search.

Larie Pidgeon tells TMZ ... she knows LAPD detectives "worked tirelessly, and their efforts have brought us to this new piece of the puzzle. But I also want to be clear -- this search is not over. Knowing Hannah crossed the border does not provide the answers I need, nor does it ease the heartbreak I feel."

Larie's reacting to an image LAPD's Missing Persons Unit says it has of Hannah willfully crossing the border into Mexico on Nov. 12. Hannah's family reported her missing about 2 weeks ago, after she missed a scheduled flight to NYC from LAX on Nov. 8, the last day she was captured on camera.

Los Angeles County's new District Attorney Nathan Hochman was sworn in by Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday at the Hall of Justice in downtown L.A.

Hochman is replacing outgoing D.A. George Gascón, who Nathan says was way too soft on violent and repeat offenders during his 4-year term ... and apparently voters agreed.

It's fitting ... Hochman says he's going to terminate a lot of the policies he calls lenient that Gascón was known for ... like not prosecuting drug possession and trespassing offenses ... and he's turning to the "Terminator" star -- and former California governor -- to get his first day in office started.

New twist in the Hannah Kobayashi missing persons case ... police in Los Angeles say they have her on video crossing the border into Mexico.

The LAPD just released new information on the case, and cops say Missing Persons Unit investigators traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border where they reviewed surveillance footage from U.S. Customs and Border Protection clearly showing Hannah crossing the border on foot into Mexico.

Cops say Hannah was alone and she was traveling with her luggage.

It looks like Lil Xan didn't get away unscathed after he roughed up a concertgoer last week ... 'cause it appears the rapper got body-slammed right afterward.

In exclusive video obtained by TMZ ... LX can be seen being whisked away and thrown to the ground by a larger dude ... not long after he threw a mic at a man in the audience before kicking him in the face.

It is unclear if the guy who threw Lil Xan to the ground was security ... but whoever he was, it was clear he wasn't putting up with any nonsense.

Jiare Schneider -- a TikTok star who went missing earlier this month -- is dead ... this according to local reports citing police.

The social media star's body was reportedly found earlier this week in Georgia ... about a week and a half after he initially went missing.

Officers say they received a phone call from friends and family of Jiare on Tuesday morning, after which they did a sweep of the area and came across his remains, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Lil Xan's on cops' radar again ... we're told officers are looking for him after the rapper was seen on video punching and kicking a man at a show in Boston last week.

TMZ has obtained the clip ... which shows the rapper chatting up a few audience members at Royale, a nightclub, late Friday night/early Saturday morning -- and you can see him reach down and swing the mic at the man's face, physically knocking him to the ground.

Xan then spikes his microphone in the man's direction and -- when he finally gets back to his feet -- you see him kick the guy in the head before several people can separate the two.

Donald Trump's incoming appointees are already receiving vicious backlash from some in the country ... with nearly a dozen incoming members of the team receiving violent threats, according to the campaign.

The Trump-Vance transition team announced the news Wednesday morning ... sharing a press release about the "vicious, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them.

The statement explains some of these members received bomb threats ... while others were swatted in their homes instead.