WDIV-TV cites unnamed sources as saying that the search is "in connection with several homicide cases."
When a reporter for WXYZ-TV asked an FBI spokesperson if they were searching for Hoffa, there was a pause and then the answer "no comment." WXYZ is reporting that "a fence was put up over the weekend to try to keep the dig secret. Neighbors even say the feds have been preparing for this search for a couple of weeks."
Contributing to speculation that federal authorities are pursuing a new Hoffa lead is this according to WXYZ: Investigators are carrying white binders that say "Big Dig 2." In 2006, a search for Hoffa at a farm in Milford, Michigan was commonly referred to as the "Big Dig." That extensive excavation resulted in weeks of news coverage, but no Hoffa.
The Detroit Free Press newspaper reports that this federal investigation and dig is taking place on the same day a new book was released on Hoffa's disappearance. The book suggests that Hoffa was killed and cremated at a Detroit cemetery.