Meet the man who could help crack the Howard Beach jogger murder case.
Police released a sketch of a man they want to talk to about the slaying of Karina Vetrano.
The man, who is not believed to be the killer, was seen coming out of the weeds at Spring Creek Park near the Belt Parkway around the time Vetrano was killed on Aug. 2.
“We want to speak to this person because we feel that he was there,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Wednesday. “He is not a subject. He is not even a POI (person of interest).”
The gaunt-faced individual was seen by several people, including a utility worker in the area, Boyce said.
Investigators were posting the sketch in Spring Creek Park along the bike path where Vetrano was killed and around the neighborhood, Boyce explained.
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| Karina Vetrano |
Detectives have developed a DNA profile of the killer from material found on Vetrano’s body and her phone – but have found no match, police said.
Cops have received about 85 tips since the murder and are vetting the last nine, Boyce said.
Meanwhile, the reward for information about Vetrano’s killer has ballooned to $300,000, thanks to a GoFundMe site set up by her family.
Based on witnesses’ accounts, police began developing a description of the man seen leaving the Queens park around the time the 30-year-old woman was raped and strangled.
Police decided to hold off on releasing the sketch for a few weeks because it “wasn’t firm.”
