English

Noun

person of interest ‎(plural persons of interest or people of interest)

1. (law enforcement) Someone whom police have reason to believe may have a connection to a crime, or to possess important information relating to that crime, but who has not been accused or charged by authorities nor been officially deemed to be a suspect.
   • 2009 Aug. 22, Tim Padgett , "The Pensacola Adoptive Couple's Murder: A Hit?," Time (retrieved 19 Nov 2015):

     Tice denies involvement in any conspiracy. . . . Still, Morgan says Tice and "three or four other people" remain "persons of interest" in the investigation.

   • 2013 Sept. 26, "Sayed Abdellatif inquiry will report to Tony Abbott, who called him a 'jihadist'," Guardian (UK) (retrieved 19 Nov 2015):

     Abdellatif has been interviewed five times by Australian security services since the dropping of the charges and remains a "person of interest" to the federal police.

   • 2015 Sept. 12, "Police Rule Out Detained Man, 19, as Prime Suspect in Phoenix Freeway Shootings," New York Times (retrieved 19 Nov 2015):

     The 19-year-old man from a Phoenix suburb who was detained on Friday at a convenience store near Interstate 10 is a person of interest, but Bart Graves, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, declined to say what had led the police to question the man.

Usage notes

• This is an informal, nonspecific term, typically used precisely in order to avoid publicly labeling someone as a suspect without sufficient evidence.