Police Now Offering $10K For Tips in Death of Queens Jogger

Police raised the reward for information in the death of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano to $10,000 on Thursday. The reward had been initially set at $2,500.

Vetrano's body was found in a Queens marsh on Tuesday evening in Howard Beach after her father reported her missing hours earlier. Vetrano, 30, was last seen at about 5 p.m. on Tuesday before her jog in Gateway National Park. Vetrano was without her usual running partner, her father, who according to police had warned her not to run that specific route.

"We have a lot of forensic evidence acquired so far, but we’re not getting a lot of Crime Stopper tips," Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Thursday. "We have three, and they’re all pretty generic, so we have since raised the reward up for $10,000 for any information."

A missing person report was filed and after an extensive search of the area an unresponsive female was found by her father and a police officer in marshland near 161st Avenue and 78th Street at 6:58 p.m. Tuesday. EMS responded and pronounced her dead at the scene. According to Boyce, her father found her "face down on the ground."

Initial police reports indicated there were no immediate signs of trauma, however, Boyce said Wednesday morning she may have been strangled and there is "possible evidence" that the victim had been sexually assaulted. The Daily News quotes a police source saying the victim's pants were "not in the same position as when she left."

Medical examiners have not yet identified the cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing. Boyce said Thursday they hope to have a DNA profile "in the next couple of days."

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