The murder suspect’s CEO’s family did not report him when the police received over 200 tips

Blood is thicker than a viral surveillance image of a suspected killer laughing at a flirtatious clerk in the lobby of a New York hostel.

Luigi Mangione, the former Ivy League computer scientist now suspected of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the back in New York City, has dozens of cousins ​​in his prominent Maryland family. But none of them seem to have recognized him after his smiling face went viral in connection with a nationwide manhunt that ended Monday.

NYPD Detective Chief Joseph Kenny told “Your World” host Neil Cavuto that of more than 200 tips police received in the case, none named Mangione.

UNITED HEALTHCARE CEO Murder Suspect LUIGI MANGIONE COMPLAINED ABOUT BACK SURGERY BEFORE THE KILLING

Murder suspect CEO Luigi Mangione shouts as officers restrain him as he arrives for his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital)

One of Mangione’s former high school classmates had a simple explanation — the suspected hitman is most recognizable for his dark, curly hair, which was covered in photos the NYPD released before his arrest.

“I think when something this high-profile happens naturally, I automatically disregard it,” former classmate Freddie Leatherbury told “Fox & Friends” Wednesday. He figured it could have been anyone—but not anyone he knew.

UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO, BRIAN THOMPSON’S ‘ONLY’ ATTACK AND DEVELOPMENT OF SUSPECTS: TIMELINE

The suspected gunman in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder, believed to be Luigi Mangione, is seen flirting with an employee at the hostel in surveillance footage before the Dec. 4 shooting. (NYPD)

“And what I remember about Luigi, if anything, was his really distinct curly hair, and in all the footage from the security cameras, the only thing you saw was him with a hat on or a hood on,” he said. “It wasn’t a connection I made. And of course the Italians in New York are a dime a dozen. So just the jaw structure alone, the face, it wasn’t a connection that I really rushed to make. So I really just brushed it off of when I saw it, to be honest.”

UNITED HEALTHCARE CEO, MURDER SUSPECT, LUIGI MANGIONE FIGHTS EXTRADITION: LIVE UPDATES

United Healthcare CEO killing suspect Luigi Mangione pictured at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (Pennsylvania State Police)

Still, law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital Monday that it was Mangione’s distinctive eyebrows and medical mask that made him stand out to customers and locals at an Altoona McDonald’s.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry and Patrol Chief John Chell told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Wednesday that investigators were still looking into additional tips and it was unclear if any relatives had been contacted.

“Thank God for the customer who was in McDonald’s,” said Daughtry, who ran to Altoona, Pennsylvania, with a contingent of NYPD and Manhattan prosecutors Monday after the arrest.

According to court documents, both witnesses and officers immediately recognized the suspect after seeing the widely circulated wanted poster.

Despite the nature of the crime — which involved a masked gunman sneaking up behind Thompson as he walked to a hotel for a business conference and shooting him in the back — a smiling surveillance image of the suspect circulated widely and drew praise on social media. Left-wing commentators mocked the victim.

Surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows a masked gunman sneak up behind UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and shoot him in the back in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD)

The suspect achieved such a cult following that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, speaking at a press conference after Mangione’s arrest, declared, “This killer was not a hero.”

“In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero,” Shapiro told reporters Monday. “Hear me out on this. He’s no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning. The real heroes every day in our society are the women and men who put on uniforms like these and go out into our society to keep us safe. This killer was not a hero, he should not be celebrated.

FORMER WAPO REPORTER SAYS ‘WE WANT THESE EXECUTIVES DEAD’ AFTER INSURANCE CEO MURDERED

Attempts to reach a number of Mangione’s relatives for comment went unanswered Wednesday. In a joint statement, the family said members were “devastated” by the news.

Luigi Mangione pictured in a Pennsylvania mugshot following his arrest in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

His cousin Nino Mangione, a Maryland state delegate, said little more in his own statement.

“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news about Luigi Mangione,” he said. “We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. Our prayers go out to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for everyone involved.”

John Kelly, a criminal profiler and the president of STALK Inc., said it is not unusual that none of Mangione’s acquaintances turned him in.

NYPD MATCHES HANDGUN, FINGERPRINT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO SLAYING, COMMISSION SAYS

This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group)

“He was so distant in the minds of his friends, family and acquaintances because none of them thought he was capable of such violence,” he said.

Josiah Ryan, a member of the Surfbreak co-op in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Mangione lived in 2022, said there had been no warning signs that he or other friends were aware of.

“He was just a great guy, you know?” he told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s easy in a situation like this to look back and find weird things about people…highlight them and say, ‘Hey, he was always weird.’ And people don’t, there’s just nothing.”

The Mangione family owns golf courses and clubs across Maryland, a radio station and other properties, Fox News Digital has reported.

The family’s wealth allowed the suspected killer to attend Baltimore’s Gilman School, a private K-12 school with tuition that costs about $40,000 a year. He graduated as valedictorian of his class in 2016 – then went on to the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Ivy League school in 2020 with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science.

A photo taken by Fox News Digital shows Luigi Mangione. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

“He seemed like a smart kid, he always did the right thing, it seemed like,” another former classmate told Fox News Digital Monday. “Don’t be crazy.”

Mangione had only one minor criminal record — a December 2023 trespassing case in Honolulu for entering the Nuuanu Pali Lookout when it was closed. Authorities told Fox News Digital they do not believe a booking photo was taken in connection with the citation.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Mangione specifically mentioned UnitedHealthcare and the shareholder conference Thompson was attending at the time of the shooting in his alleged manifesto, Kenny said. He had also allegedly posted online about a back injury, and investigators were looking into whether the health insurance industry had denied a claim from him or withheld some form of care.

Fox News’ Alexis McAdams and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.