Police in Massachusetts, New York, and Michigan aren’t ruling out the possibility that the brutal murders of 3 female joggers in their states are linked.
Residents are on edge in the tiny towns were the 3 murders occurred within a 9 day span.
27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte left her mother’s house in Princeton for an afternoon jog on Aug. 7. She was found dead hours later. Police say the Google account manager fought for her life and she may have inflicted injuries on her attacker.
“The assailant, who we know was a man, may have sustained injuries in the struggle, specifically scratches, scrapes and or bruises,” said Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. on Thursday.
Early asked residents to call the police tip line at 508-453-7589 if they observe any men with fresh injuries.
Marcotte’s death was the first murder in the Princeton in 30 years — and the 3rd murder of a female jogger in 9 days.
On Aug 2, Karina Vetrano, 30, left her father’s home in Howard Beach, NY, for a jog. Vetrano and her father, Phillip, often jogged together, but the retired NY firefighter injured his back. He pleaded with Vetrano not to jog alone, and he warned her not to jog in a Queens park known for being a dumping ground for bodies and trash.
But Vetrano didn’t heed her father’s advice.
An hour later, Phillip called a neighbor who happens to be a police captain to report Vetrano missing.
Assisting police with the search for his daughter, Phillip found her battered body in a marshy area in the park around 10 p.m.
Like Marcotte, Vetrano fought for her life. A tooth was knocked out in the struggle. She was strangled to death and investigators say she was raped. DNA taken from the body did not match anyone in the crime database.
A GoFundMe page set up by Phillip raised $215,910 as of Thursday.
On July 30, 31-year-old nurse Alexandra “Ally” Brueger was shot and killed as she jogged along a gravel road in Rose Township, Michigan.
Investigators say there is “nothing at this point” to link the 3 murders. But they aren’t discounting the similarities in the murders.
“There are some similarities — female, jogger. There are also major non-similarities to that case,” said NYPD deputy chief Michael Kemper, referring to Marcotte’s murder. Kemper is investigating Vetrano’s murder.
