Community assistance is needed to identify the individual who assaulted Karina Vetrano in Spring Creek Park, Howard Beach, commonly referred to as “The Weeds,” on Tuesday, August 2, 2016. Karina Vetrano was a young, vibrant woman, who recently began working as a speech pathologist helping autistic children improve their lives.
Previously, a sketch was released depicting an individual seen near the location of the assault. This unidentified individual may have witnessed something and not realized its importance at the time.
The person who assaulted Karina is still at large and the community is urged to recognize the importance of the below information and characteristics regarding this person:
1. The person who committed the assault is likely familiar with the park and he may have spent time there for any of a variety of reasons. The park is routinely used by fisherman, dirt bike riders, environmentalists, and other outdoor enthusiasts. Certain areas within the park serve as a gathering place for homeless and recreational drug and alcohol users.
2. He may have been frequenting or even living in the park for days, weeks, or months prior to the assault and was likely a familiar face to others who use the park on a regular basis.
3. Following the assault on Karina, he likely stopped visiting or living in the park abruptly. He may have moved his recreational activities or residence to another area of the borough or city. He may have provided a seemingly reasonable excuse for this change in behavior to others. He may have even suggested his avoidance of the park was due to the danger there.
4. In the hours following the assault on Karina, anyone encountering him may have observed him to be disheveled in appearance with possible scratches or cuts to his hands, arms, neck, or face. It could have appeared that he was in some type of fight or accident. He may have given any of a variety of excuses for his appearance.
5. Following the assault of Karina, he may have noticeably changed his level of alcohol, drug, or tobacco use. He may have paid careful attention to media reporting on the assault of Karina. He may have taken steps to limit his exposure to media reporting. He may have changed his appearance. In any case, his change in behavior may have been noticed by someone close to him, and may have been casually dismissed with or without explanation from him.
Members of the community are urged to come forward with any information they have, including if they believe they have encountered or know this person. Please contact the New York City Police Department to report information you may have.
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On Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 6:58 p.m., police responded to a report of a missing 30-year-old female at 165 Avenue and 84 Street, within the confines of the 106 Precinct in Queens. It was reported to police that the missing female was last seen at approximately 5 p.m. leaving her residence to jog in the vicinity of Gateway National Park and had not returned. After an extensive search of the area, an unresponsive adult female was discovered in the marshland area within the vicinity of 161 Avenue and 78 Street, with no obvious signs of trauma. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the female deceased at the scene. Upon further investigation, the deceased female was positively identified as the female who was reported missing. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing. The Medical Examiner has determined this incident to be a Homicide.
The deceased has been identified as:
Vetrano, Karina
30-year-old female
Queens, NY
*** 8/31/16 ***
The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the following individual depicted in the attached sketch. Investigators would like to speak to the individual in connection with the ongoing investigation.
*** UPDATE 8/23/16 ***
The combined reward has been increased to $35,000 with the Mayor’s Office offering $10,000 for the arrest and conviction for the person responsible for this incident.
*** UPDATE 8/12/16 ***
The reward has been updated to a combined award of $25,000:
$2,500 payable by Crime Stoppers upon arrest and indictment;
$7,500 payable by the NYPD upon arrest and conviction for the person(s) responsible for the above listed crime;
$10,000 payable by the Police Foundation upon arrest and conviction of the above incident;
$5,000 payable by the Uniformed Firefighters Association upon the arrest and conviction of the above incident.
*** UPDATE 8/9/16 ***
A $20,000 reward has been offered leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for murder of Karina Vetrano.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
