Companies remove executive bios, photos from websites after CEO's murder
Major health care companies have removed leadership bios and photos from their websites following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
When you click on UnitedHealthcare’s "about us/leadership" page that included Thompson’s photo and bio, it now redirects to the company’s homepage.
CVS has also removed executive bios and pics from its website, the company confirmed to FOX Business, but declined to comment further.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield took similar action. Its leadership page, which once listed 25 executives including CEO Kim Keck, redirects to the "about us" page now, 404 Media first reported.
Brian Thompson (UnitedHealthcare)
According to the outlet, other insurers – including Caresource, Medica and Elevance Health – have done the same in the wake of Thompson’s killing.
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Thompson’s death has placed a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take in protecting their leaders against threats. Thompson had no personal security and appeared unaware of the shooter lurking before he was gunned down.
What happened to Brian Thompson?
Thompson, 50, the leader of one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., died in an ambush early Wednesday. Thompson was walking alone to the company’s annual investor conference at a Hilton in Midtown Manhattan when a gunman shot him in the back and right calf in what police have called a targeted killing.
The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were found emblazoned on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used by insurance industry critics.
READ MORE: Deny, defend, depose: Possible meaning behind CEO killer’s apparent message
Thompson had worked at the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company for two decades and led its insurance division since 2021. He was one of the company’s highest-paid executives, with a $10.2 million annual compensation package, but Thompson kept a low profile. UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s CEO Andrew Witty took on a more public-facing role that included testifying before Congress.
Who shot Brian Thompson?
The masked gunman who killed Thompson in front of Manhattan surveillance cameras remained at large Friday.
RELATED: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect traveled to NYC by bus from Atlanta: sources
Investigators believe that the killer may have traveled to New York last month on a bus that originated in Atlanta and that at some point he checked into a hostel, law enforcement officials said.
Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the killer and are working to determine whether he bought the ticket to New York in late November.
READ MORE: New photos show alleged CEO killer's smile; NYPD search NYC hostels: sources
Police released photos Thursday, taken inside the HI New York City hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, of a person they said was wanted for questioning in the shooting.
A screenshot from surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows the alleged suspect wanted for the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers )
Investigators believe the suspect used a fake New Jersey identification card when he checked in at the hostel, an official told The Associated Press.
Employees at the hostel said they remembered a man who almost always wore a mask when interacting with them. That person wore a jacket that looked like the one worn by the man pictured in surveillance images released after the shooting, the official said.