Vanessa Marcotte Murder: New DNA Yields Person Of Interest

WORCESTER COUNTY, MA — Authorities now believe they are closer to finding the person who killed Vanessa Marcotte. A person-of-interest profile has been issued in the murder of Marcotte, who was killed in the woods of Princeton last summer.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early's office has received a DNA profile on a person of interest, announcing to reporters on Thursday a description of a Hispanic or Latino male in his 30s with an athletic build, short hair or shaved head and light to medium skin. The man is said to have driven a dark SUV that would have been in the vicinity of the murder that day and would have likely had scratches on his arms, hands and face.

The 27-year-old Marcotte was found dead near her mother's home in Princeton on Aug. 7, 2016. An employee at Google's New York City office and Boston University alumna, Marcotte went missing during a jog while visiting her mother. A K-9 police dog found Marcotte's body about a half-mile from the home, and investigators say she was last seen on Brooks Station Road that afternoon.

Early said that more than 1,300 tips have come in, and the description is a compilation of the DNA results and witness statements.

"We have the DNA profile, but we do not have their name," said Early. "As the facts and evidence come in, we're very confident that this is our person of interest. We won't say where the DNA was found, but we're comfortable putting this information out. State police are doing a lot of things I cannot speak to, but they are doing everything they can in this case."

In December, the family of Marcotte spoke publicly for the first time since the murder, announcing a website dedicated to the investigation of finding the killer.

Anyone with information regarding this person of interest should call the tipline 508-453-7589. Callers are anonymous.