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The last legitimate news we heard on the child abuse case involving Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his fiancé, Crystal Espinal, was back on May 2, when Hill’s attorney, Trey Pettlon, sent a four-page letter on behalf of Hill to the NFL denying any claims.
A new report from the Kansas City Star Friday explained that the original criminal investigation is no longer active.
“It is not an active investigation,” Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said in an email to The Kansas City Star. “As in any case, if we receive additional evidence we reevaluate.”
There was a report that Hill’s case was “reopened” in late April after audio surfaced on local Kansas City station KCTV5, though a week later, Yahoo! Sports’ Terez Paylor reported that might not really be true.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told Yahoo Sports that there’s a belief among some close to the ordeal that the child abuse case against Hill has not been actually “reopened."
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) May 2, 2019
Pettlon confirmed Paylor’s May 2 report Friday, telling The Kansas City Star the case had been closed for a while.
PETTLON: “It’s my understanding the criminal investigation has been closed for quite some time now and obviously there’s been some misinformation about that, but it is closed.”
The timeline of events
• March 15: Report: Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill involved in investigation for alleged battery
• March 26: Andy Reid says he has not personally spoken to Hill
• April 18: Report: Tyreek Hill temporarily lost custody of 3-year-old son
• April 18: Report: Letter shows NFL sought information on Tyreek Hill
• April 26: Tyreek Hill’s criminal case reopened after release of new audio
• April 26: Chiefs general manager Brett Veach issues statement regarding Tyreek Hill
• April 27: Clark Hunt holds media availability but remains mum on next steps for Tyreek Hill
• May 1: Report: NFL not expected to take action on Tyreek Hill “in the very near future”
• May 2: Report: Tyreek Hill’s lawyer denies child abuse claims in letter to NFL
• May 4: Andy Reid issues non-statement on Tyreek Hill situation
• May 22: Roger Goodell speaks on Tyreek Hill matter during league meeting
It’s important to note that Hill and Espinal still have an ongoing case with the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
The NFL and the Chiefs have declined to comment about Hill’s future in 2019 and beyond, citing ongoing investigations. As it stands currently, Hill is still not participating in Chiefs’ offseason activities.
A source said NFL investigators had not yet talked to Tyreek Hill. If there's a clear timeline on when this will be concluded, I haven't talked to the person who knows it.
— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) June 7, 2019
With the information that Hill’s criminal case is no longer active, that could change sooner rather than later. Many expect Hill to be suspended by the league, but with no true precedent for a case like this, that remains more speculation than anything else.