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Murdered Jogger Karina Vetrano Funeral Set, Police Say She Fought Ferociously For Her Life [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 08:15 PST, Aug 5, 2016

The wake for murdered New York jogger Karina Vetrano began on Friday afternoon, just days after her own father found her brutalized body laying along her usual jogging path in Spring Creek Park in Queens, New York. The 30-year-old was raped, beaten, and murdered on Tuesday evening, After she didn’t come home from her nightly run, her father contacted law enforcement to report her missing.

As New York Daily News reports, her distraught father’s worst nightmare came true when he discovered the body of his daughter, murdered jogger Karina Vetrano, as he accompanied police on their search. According to reports, he was at the scene to show law enforcement his daughter’s typical jogging route when he discovered her remains.

She was found only about 15 feet off of the trail, having reportedly been dragged into some tall weeds while she fought desperately against her attacker.

Karina Vetrano will be laid to rest on Saturday at noon, with her funeral taking place at St. Helen’s Church in Howard Beach, only minutes from where her battered body was found in the 10-foot-high weeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q7C3p7E2pc

In the aftermath of the unthinkable crime, Karina Vetrano’s neighbors have come together to support the murdered jogger and her surviving family as they struggle to come to terms with their grief and what has happened. Reportedly, neighbors have “blanketed” Karina Vetrano’s neighborhood with white ribbons in an attempt to show solidarity and to pay homage to the murdered jogger.

“We want the family to know she won’t be forgotten. It’s a tight-knit neighborhood, it really is.”

In addition to dealing with the horrific sexual assault and murder of jogger Karina Vetrano, neighbors are also struggling with the knowledge that her killer is still out there and has yet to be identified. He could be anyone, and if the condition of Karina Vetrano’s remains is any indication, he is capable of anything. Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the perpetrator and have offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the murdered jogger, Karina Vetrano’s killer.

In addition to asking for the public’s help in identifying the murderer of Karina Vetrano, law enforcement investigators are still processing the scene where her body was found in an attempt to identify any clues that might help them in their bid of finding justice for Karina.

According to the NYPD, they are working with the FBI to solve the case of murdered jogger Karina Vetrano because her remains were found on federal land. The cooperation between the FBI and the NYPD has given investigators and detectives access to more expansive search equipment which they hope will aid them in their efforts.

According to local police, they have gotten very few tips from the public regarding the rape and murder of Karina Vetrano and are in desperate need of more. As CBS News reports, authorities are concerned about the continued threat to the public following the horrific murder.

“We believe there’s a severe community threat, as you know. Right now, we think it’s random, so we don’t believe it’s anybody in her life that’s created this.”

Law enforcement says that they are particularly concerned about future violence because of the brazen, brutal nature of the murder of New York Jogger Karina Vetrano. According to reports, Vetrano almost always completed her nightly jogging route alongside her dad, but he had suffered an injury and stayed home on Tuesday.

“At some point after that, her father began to get worried, where she was, she didn’t return home. He called a member of the service, a police chief who lives nearby, who then called 911.”

Police say that Karina Vetrano was murdered in broad daylight and very violently. She was beaten so badly that some of her teeth had been broken, and she lost a shoe in her attempts to protect herself from her attacker. Her father found her face down with her shorts and sports bra pulled down. It is believed that Karina’s official cause of death was strangulation.

“This woman put up a ferocious fight right to the end.”

If you have any information about murdered jogger Karina Vetrano, you are urged to contact Detective Christian Quezada at (718) 845-2261 or to call 911.

[Image via New York Police Department]

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