What happened to Karina Vetrano, the New York woman who went for a run and never came back?

Authorities in New York are attempting to piece together what might have happened to Vetrano

Karina Vetrano from Queens was found dead on 2 August 2016 after going for a jog (Facebook)

Karina Vetrano frequently went running with her father, Phil, who is a retired firefighter.

Vetrano went for a run on Tuesday, New York media outlets reported. But her dad, who was reportedly dealing with some back pain, didn’t join his 30-year-old daughter that day.

She didn’t come back from the run, though. And Phil Vetrano grew worried.

“Her father began to call her several times on the phone,” New York City Police Department’s chief of detectives, Robert Boyce, told reporters. “She did not answer.”

Boyce told reporters that Vetrano’s father called a police chief who lives nearby. That person called emergency responders. A search began — an effort in which Vetrano’s father took part.

After several hours, her body was discovered.

“Her father then went into the woods and then found the body with our detectives,” Boyce said.

Authorities in New York are attempting to piece together what might have happened to Vetrano. Her body was discovered in marshland Tuesday night, CBS News reports.

“She was a sweetheart,” a neighbor, Joseph Dipierro, told WABC. “She lit up the room when she walked in. She was a beautiful girl.”

“It’s just a terrible tragedy,” Marylou Dazzo, a resident, told the ABC affiliate. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“Everyone is devastated,” a friend, Tommy Ryan, told a CBS affiliate. “I got a million calls last night. Everyone’s upset. It’s just a big shock.”

Vetrano’s body was discovered face down and about 15 feet off a trail, the New York Times reports.

Here’s how a local NBC station describes the area where the body was found:

The running path is alongside a secluded, overgrown marsh at the edge of Jamaica Bay. It is part of a much longer network of paths ringing the bay that get a lot of use from cyclists and runners. The section where Vetrano’s body was found is often bypassed by people using the longer routes.

“Right now, there’s evidence of strangulation, asphyxiation,” Boyce told reporters.

NYPD spokesman Stephen Davis said sexual assault hasn’t been ruled out. “The [medical examiner] needs to confirm that, but there were marks on the body that were consistent with sexual assault,” Davis told reporters, according to the New York Post.

Boyce said Wednesday that authorities were checking Vetrano’s text messages and examining footage from security cameras, the Times reports. Her death has been ruled a homicide, according to the newspaper.

“We have surveillance of her running past a home at 5:46 p.m.,” Boyce said, according to the Times. “We have a lot of forensic evidence as well.”

Vetrano’s father returned Thursday to the area where his daughter’s body was found, the New York Daily News reported.

“He’s traumatized,” a family friend told the New York Post. “This is too much for them.”

The Times described Vetrano as a “prolific photographer” on Instagram, an app where she had thousands of followers. According to the newspaper, she worked at a Queens bar and lounge called Central, which posted on Instagram after her death.

“Last night, we lost a dear friend and Central Lounge family member, Karina Vetrano,” the post read. “Karina was an amazing person; she will forever be in our hearts.”

An Instagram post from another local business, RV Rooftop, indicated that Vetrano had also worked there last year.

“Our hearts and players go out to the family and the entire community as we mourn this horrible loss,” the post said.

Copyright: Washington Post