What to Know
- Karina Vetrano's body was found in a swampy area Aug. 2
- DNA found on her and her phone have not been matched to a suspect
- Her family is offering a reward of hundreds of thousands of dollars for information leading to an arrest
The runner who a Queens father said hadn't been seen since his daughter was killed earlier this month appears to have nothing to do with the woman's death, police said Tuesday.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said that the runner heard Philip Vetrano's comments about him on the radio on Monday and went to police to clear his name. Boyce said the runner's DNA didn't match samples found at the scene where Karina Vetrano's body was found Aug. 2 and that the man stopped exercising because he had hurt his knee.
On Monday, Philip Vetrano told Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa that the runner was a fixture on the streets of Howard Beach and had "dropped off the face of the earth" after the death of his daughter.
Karina Vetrano's family has raised more than $250,000 for a reward for information in the Aug. 2 sexual assault and homicide.
Boyce said Tuesday that the search for the woman's killer was continuing, and that officials haven't been able to match DNA found on Vetrano's body and phone to a suspect.
Anyone with information on Vetrano's killer should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
