Report: Slain jogger found naked, burned in Mass. woods

PRINCETON, Mass. -- A New York City woman slain after going on a jog Sunday while visiting her mother in Massachusetts was found naked and burned, sources tell CBS Boston.

Vanessa Marcotte, 27, was found Sunday night by a state police canine unit, near Brooks Station Road in Princeton, Massachusetts, about a half-mile from her mother's home.

An autopsy was completed on Marcotte Tuesday, but authorities are still awaiting test results and an official cause and manner of death has yet to be determined. Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. wouldn't comment on the condition of Marcotte's body when she was found.

Early said Monday that residents of the roughly 4,000-person town about 60 miles west of Boston should be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.

"Please use an abundance of caution, we don't know if this is a random act, we're asking you to be very careful," Early said. "Right now we have a very active investigation going on, you can't be too careful."

Marcotte, originally from Leominster, Massachusetts, lived in New York City and worked as an account manager at Google.

"Vanessa Marcotte was a much loved member of the Google team, working in our New York office for the last year and a half, and known for her ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work, and love of Boston sports," a spokesperson for Google said in a written statement. "We are deeply shocked and saddened, and our thoughts are with her family and friends."

Marcotte graduated from Boston University in 2011.

Steve Quigley, one of Marcotte's professors at BU, said she reached out to him on several occasions after graduation to share job and internship opportunities.

"She was kind, very bright and unfailingly gracious," Quigley said. "My heart is broken and my thoughts are with her family."

Investigators are focusing on the hours just after Marcotte left for her jog Sunday afternoon along the tree-lined street and never returned.

"That time frame is between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. yesterday," Early said Monday. "We are seeking the public's assistance."

The murder comes less than a week after another young woman, Karina Vetrano, 30, was slain while jogging in Queens, New York. Police in New York City say they believe the crime is random, and are still searching for her killer.

Police both in New York and in Massachusetts say they have no reason to believe the two crimes are connected. But Early said Tuesday investigators "haven't ruled anything out with regards to the New York homicide."

"We understand there are similarities," he said.

Local and state police are running down hundreds of leads in the case and Early urged anyone with information to come forward.

Early said he met with Marcotte's family Tuesday. He said they are "devastated" and have requested privacy.

Police are urging anyone with information to call tipline 508-453-7589.

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