Police made a bizarre discovery Tuesday night in the same Howard Beach park where a jogger was found raped and fatally strangled last month.
A naked and disoriented man was found waist deep in the marshy area of Spring Creek Park at about 10 p.m. on Sept. 27. That’s the same park where Karina Vetrano, a 30-year-old resident of 84th Street who went out for a jog and never came home, was found murdered on the night of Aug. 2.
Officers at a special command post set up following the murder heard cries for help coming from the park on Tuesday night and found the naked man, according to WABC-TV. He was hospitalized, apparently for overdosing on the drug Molly; police also took a DNA sample from him as part of its investigation into Vetrano’s murder.
Police found the man shortly after they provided an update about the case to residents at a meeting of the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic Association.
The NYPD was able to create a DNA profile of Vetrano’s killer from genetic evidence recovered from the crime scene. However, that profile did not match others in the state’s DNA databank.
The search continues, and rewards of more than $300,000 are available to the person who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.
Anyone with information regarding the Vetrano case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
