NORTH ATTLEBORO (CBS/AP) – Police were searching a pond near the home of Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Monday as dozens of reporters continued to camp out in front of the football player’s home.

Hernandez is still a free man, despite having a cloud hanging over him.

State police investigators put on rubber dry-suits, and waded into a swampy area not a block from Hernandez’s luxury home. Ignoring the heat and humidity, they used metal detectors in the area but emerged after about an hour, with nothing visible.

Hernandez has been the focal point of the police after the body of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, of Dorchester, was found in a field, about a half a mile from Hernandez’ home, last Monday.

Relatives of Lloyd say he and Hernandez were friends and were together early last Monday morning. (Continued…)

Over the weekend, investigators searched the home of the Patriots’ receiver, and left with several brown paper bags. They wouldn’t say what was in the bags.

Latest: Aaron Hernandez Investigation

An attorney for Hernandez released a statement Monday night.

“Over the past week, our client, Aaron Hernandez, has been the subject of a relentless flood of rumors, misinformation, and false reports in the media,” Michael K. Fee of Ropes & Gray said in a statement. “These include the repeated publication of a supposedly confirmed report that an arrest warrant had been issued for Aaron, a report that was exposed as untrue. None of these false reports come from official sources and we appreciate the professionalism and restraint shown by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office to date with regard to its public statements while its investigation is underway. Out of respect for that ongoing investigation, we will continue to refrain from commenting on its substance.”

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