By Gregg Rosenthal
Around The League Editor
Three days after a body was found in the North Attleboro, Mass., woods, there are still more questions than answers regarding
Aaron Hernandez's connection to a homicide investigation.
The
New England Patriots tight end's every movement was tracked Thursday in a dizzying array of speculative reports, with a helicopter chase thrown in.
Yes, the circus arrived near Boston on day three as the investigation picked up steam. Boston news helicopters tracked Hernandez's movements from his home to the
Patriots facility, and then to an office building in Boston that houses Hernandez's lawyers. The 24 hour news cycle wants answers in real time, but there's still a mountain of information we don't know. It's impossible to know how long this process could play out.
Despite conflicting reports about Hernandez's potential arrest, local prosecutors reiterated to NFL.com that the case is under investigation. No one has publicly been named a suspect. (Or ruled out.) The police would not confirm or deny any reports about Hernandez.
With so much floating around, here's what we absolutely know about the investigation:
» The body of Odin Lloyd, 27, was found at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday. An autopsy confirmed his death was a homicide, authorities said. Lloyd's family told The Associated Press that Lloyd had connections to Hernandez, although they would not elaborate. Lloyd was a semi-pro football player.
» SI.com reported that a vehicle rented in Hernandez's name appeared to be a key piece of evidence in the case. Authorities also have asked for help finding a silver mirror cover from a vehicle that might be connected to the case. No other information has been released.
» Authorities were seen at Hernandez's residence on Tuesday. SI.com reported that they searched Hernandez's home.
» Michael Fee, a lawyer at Ropes and Gray, released a statement regarding Hernandez and the investigation.
"Out of respect for that process, neither we nor Aaron will have any comment about the substance of that investigation until it has come to a conclusion," Fee said in the statement.
» The
Patriots and the NFL both indicated that they do not anticipate commenting publicly on the matter at this time.
» It's unclear who
Aaron Hernandez was visiting or why he was at Gillette Stadium Thursday. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports via a team source that no coaches are present because of vacation. Owner Robert Kraft and other team executives were also not at Gillette. Players are gone. The only people in the building were a few rookies.
» A separate civil suit alleges that Hernandez shot an acquaintance in the face on February 13 in Florida. That suit was re-filed Thursday. More
details can be seen here.
» NFL.com's Ian Rapoport obtained on Thursday a May police report from when a
New York Jets fan confronted Hernandez in Providence, R.I., and officers were
called to disperse the gathering crowd. Hernandez was trying to walk away, the report said, but the man kept taunting him.
While Hernandez was returning to his vehicle, an unknown man was seen dropping a gun under a car. You can
read the police report here.