A 30-year-old woman who was murdered last week while on a jog, has inspired her family to do all they can to find the individual responsible for killing her.
The family of Karina Vetrano has raised more than $130,000 with the hopes that this will allow them to obtain more information about Karina’s killer.
Parents of slain NYC jogger Karina Vetrano speak out https://t.co/NY2NlUw3lQ pic.twitter.com/KRj1gf0u0d
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 8, 2016
The family raised the funds via the popular page GoFundMe, and was set up by five individuals of the Howard Beach community where Vetrano lived. The amount that the family raises is expected to supplement the money that has been offered by the New York Police Department for information about the murder, which totals $20,000.
Time Magazine relays the words that are written on the GoFundMe page in regards to the initiative.
“We need your help in bringing this vicious animal to face the most sever punishment allowable by law. Every dollar from you will help to bring her family and our community one step closer to the only thing that can help now and that is an arrest and conviction.”
As the publication reminds. Vetrano was found on August 2, roughly 15 feet from the jogging trail in Gateway National Park in Queens, New York. When the 30-year-old failed to return home from her run, her father became worried and called the police. Karina’s father normally ran alongside his daughter, yet decided to sit out on August 2 due to back pain. When he pinged Vetrano’s phone , it showed that she was in the brush near the park’s path, as People notes. Her father went out searching with the police and discovered his daughter’s body.
Evidence found at the scene suggests that Vetrano was sexually assaulted and then strangled to death, as relayed by New York Police Chief Robert Boyce. As stated, the donations that have come in all thanks to the fundraising page have reached $134,152, nearing the family’s original goal of $200,000. A page update indicates how appreciative the family is by the response.
“It is magical that we have raised this much money in less than 24 hrs.”
Since Karina’s murder last week, there has been speculation that other murders in the area could potentially be linked to hers. The Inquisitr recently shares about the most recent murder that has striking similarities to Vetrano’s case.
“Vanessa Marcotte, the latest victim, was visiting her mother in the small town of Princeton, Massachusetts, when she disappeared. Marcotte, a Google employee in NYC, left her mother’s home at 1 p.m. and was reported missing when it began getting dark. Her family then called the police. Sadly, Marcotte was found by a police K9 team nude, raped, murdered, and set on fire in a wooded area less than a half-mile from the Marcotte home.”
As noted, the deaths of Marcotte and Vetrano happened back-to-back and included similar details, as they were both similar in appearance and were assaulted in a similar manner, followed by being brutally murdered. Both Marcotte and Vetrano were assaulted and found dead in nature preserves in Queens, New York.
Every single morning I go out running, I think about my safety & I know that, as a woman, it’s not an unfounded fear https://t.co/cRwxPAXSVS
— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) August 10, 2016
Although authorities are “unnerved” by the murders, they are not entirely sure that the two can be linked. The cases are causing women to be very hesitant to head out alone within the city, especially joggers. A woman of the Brooklyn Chapter of She Runs This Town, Kathy Ionnou, indicates that many of the women in her running group are shaken up by the recent incidents. Ionnou’s words were shared.
“It absolutely has created fear. We don’t feel comfortable running alone. We’re frightened.”
Tips have been offered to women who are avid runners that include going without headphones, so to be aware in surroundings, carrying pepper spray and running with a K9 friend.
“
