BREAKING: Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock’s computer hard drive is missing: Does it have evidence of motive?

Police did not mention this key detail in media briefings on the investigation

Stephen Paddock, the gunman who shot and killed 58 people in Las Vegas earlier this month, reportedly removed the hard drive of a computer left in his Mandalay Bay hotel room, ABC News reports.

According to the new report, Paddock removed his hard drive some time before he took his own life in the 32nd floor hotel suite, and investigators still have not found the hard drive despite searching his car and residential properties. The ABC News report does not explicitly say that the hard drive was removed inside the hotel room, but it appears to be a logical presumption, given that Paddock was staying at the hotel for several days before the October 1 massacre.

Investigators have previously noted that Paddock in some ways does not fit the profile of a mass killer, and have so far reported nothing in his online behaviors that indicate an affiliation with extreme ideologies or any other beliefs that may shed light on a possible motive.

According to the ABC report, Paddock also reportedly purchased software intended to erase his hard drive, but it’s unclear if he used it.

Law enforcement had not previously reported the missing hard drive to media before the ABC News report, which did not identify the sources of its information.

On Wednesday, Paddock’s brother Bruce was arrested after investigators reportedly found evidence of child pornography on his computer.

 

[Feature image: U.S. Government]