New insights have surfaced regarding the tragic death of Dallas Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland, who passed away earlier this month in what appears to be a suicide.

The 24-year-old NFL defensive end was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the early hours of November 6. His death followed a police pursuit that began when officers attempted to stop his vehicle near the Cowboys’ training facility in suburban Dallas.

Recently obtained body and dash cam footage, acquired by the Dallas Morning News, reveals the intensity of the Texas police’s search for Kneeland. The footage includes a moment when Kneeland’s pregnant girlfriend was handcuffed.

Around 11:16 p.m., 22-year-old Mancera drove into the search area. An officer stopped her after identifying her white Buick as being registered to Kneeland.

The officer instructed Mancera to exit the vehicle. She was then handcuffed and informed that she was being detained because her car matched the description of a suspect vehicle.

Marshawn Kneeland, pictured with his girlfriend Catalina Mancera, died in an apparent suicide

Mancera was stopped and detained in the area amid police’s frantic search for Kneeland

When asked what she was doing in the area, Mancera claimed that her directions weren’t working. She was then guided to the squad car and instructed to sit in the front, while the officer checked her vehicle for Kneeland.

Following the search, officers released Mancera from the back of the squad car but continued to monitor her as she remained on the scene. 

Later footage showed her being questioned again with police tracking her vehicle in the hope that she would be able to lead them to Kneeland. 

She is captured on footage telling police he was armed, had a history of mental illness and would ‘end it all.’

‘The girlfriend has his location. But she’s not giving it to us … She’s like, “He’s going to kill himself. I can’t tell you where he’s at,”‘ a Frisco police officer said. Authorities later said Mancera worked with officers to find Kneeland.

Less than an hour earlier at around 10:35pm, Texas State Troopers began to pursue Kneeland’s vehicle.

Officers initially unaware that the driver they were pursuing was Kneeland. After a search of the vehicle’s identification number revealed it was owned by the NFL player, they presumed it to have been stolen.

Yet, around 10 minutes after losing site of the battle, Kneeland crashed into a pickup and he fled on foot, sparking the widespread search that included K-9 sniffer dogs, drones and even Texas state troopers firing pepper balls into drainage tunnels. 

Mancera was placed in a squad car as an officer searched her vehicle for the defensive end 

Kneeland’s vehicle was discovered abandoned on a grassy area by the side of the road

Kneeland’s vehicle, which he said to have been driving at speeds higher than 145mph, ended up in a grassy area beside the tollway in Frisco near an office park area with office buildings, businesses and apartments. 

Troopers said an empty holster was found underneath the driver’s seat of Kneeland’s car.

Still unaware that the man they were pursuing was Kneeland, officers searched the shopping complex before being led to a wooded area by a K-9. Shortly after 11:30pm, they then narrowed in on a culvert, a closed pipe that helps manage the flow of water.

‘Frisco K-9. If you’re in this tunnel, I’m going to send my dog in here. He is going to bite you. This is your last opportunity,’ a Frisco officer said. 

Authorities later fired pepper balls into the tunnels and sent a drone into them, but did not find Kneeland inside.

Mancera had sounded the alarm to the police after she received a concerning text message from the NFL star, saying that he would ‘end it all.’ 

In devastating 911 audio, dispatchers could be heard relaying information from Kneeland’s girlfriend, who reportedly said that he had a history of mental illness and that he was armed.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed in the days following Kneeland’s death that Mancera is pregnant. The franchise has set up a memorial fund to support her and their unborn child. 

Officers were led to a wooded area by a K-9 where they narrowed in on a drainage tunnel 

Authorities later fired pepper balls into the tunnels and sent a drone into them

His girlfriend sounded the alarm to the police after she received a concerning text message

Mancera shared a heartbreaking statement earlier this week as she continued to mourn her devastating loss. 

‘I still have a glimpse of hope Marshawn will walk through our front door singing and dancing to the music he was listening to in the car,’ she wrote on Instagram. 

‘This isn’t my life anymore, I’m now living my worst nightmare. Marshawn was more than just my boyfriend he was my best friend my muse and my reason.’ 

Mancera began dating the NFL star when he was at Western Michigan University in her native Kalamazoo, his cousin Nicole Kneeland-Woods told the Daily Mail. He is from nearby Grand Rapids. 

Mancera recently founded SZN Stitches, which produces custom game day apparel. Several of its featured designs include Kneeland’s name, photo and his No 94.