Investigators Aren’t Ruling Out Connection Between Two Joggers Found Dead

Investigators Aren’t Ruling Out Connection Between Two Joggers Found Dead
This undated driver license photo released by the Worcester County District Attorney's Office shows Vanessa Marcotte, of New York, whose body was found Sunday night, Aug. 7, 2016, in the woods about a half-mile from her mother's home in the town of Princeton, Mass., about 40 miles west of Boston. Worcester County District Attorney's Office via AP
|Updated:

While the search for Karina Vetrano’s killer continues, investigators have not ruled out a possible link to the death of a 27-year-old jogger found dead in Massachusetts less than a week later. 

“We haven’t ruled anything out. We’re going to continue to investigate this case and follow the leads where they take us,” NYPD spokesman Peter Donald told The Post about whether the two murders are connected to one another.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. echoed his comments. “We understand there are similarities,” he said at a press conference on Aug. 9.

“We’re approaching this from every angle. We’re fairly early in this investigation,” he added.

Vanessa Marcotte, a 27-year-old employee at Google, was reported missing by her family after she failed to return from a 1 p.m. jog on Sunday in Princeton, Mass..

Her naked body was found by a police K-9 unit about a half-mile away from her mother’s home in a wooded area at around 8:20 p.m. Investigators believe she was killed between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Marcotte, of New York City, was home visiting her family.

Less than a week earlier, Karina Vetrano left her Queens home at 5 p.m. on Aug. 2 for a routine jog. Her father—and habitual running partner—Phillip Vetrano notified authorities when his daughter failed to return home and stopped answering phone calls. The retired NYC firefighter led investigators down the path the pair frequented.

Karina Vetrano (Instagram)
Karina Vetrano Instagram