MA - Vanessa Marcotte, 27, murdered, Princeton, 7 Aug 2016 #4

[rosesfromangels]

She used a phone app that tracked her runs. At some point - I think last year - she changed the privacy setting on the app, but several posters were able to analyze earlier runs and noted that she routinely walked part of the route. Given how hot and humid it was that day, I think it is reasonable to surmise she was walking. And yes, she was approx .5 miles from her Mom's place.

Now THIS is a significant finding femalejogger! What is the Perp used/accessed that app to track her activities?! LE should *definitely* look in to this. They could see who accessed that app, maybe even to this granular detail. Wow, this is significant, thank you!

 

[rosesfromangels]

I'm new to this thread but I'm not sure these kinds of quotes help. We don't know if anyone is protecting the perp and if they are we don't know the circumstances, what they know or don't and whether they've called in a tip. Also, we're talking about a killer who committed a brutal crime, has likely done it before and may well do so again.

JEF, the cowardly statement originated from me. And FWIW, sleuthers tend to throw that term out to guilt those in the know to call in a tip.

 

[rosesfromangels]

someone who knows the person who did this , knows things and has to know something is wrong and must do the right thing and report it.

amen!

 

[ThinkHard]

Not sure if I'm overstating, but most of us seem to agree she was taken somewhere on BSR, which makes the most sense despite the cell tower ping. Two witnesses saw her and there are no reports of her on either Rt 31 or Ball State Rd. 31 is much busier than BSR and she would have been spotted by someone. We also know (I think) police searched the site and seem to have focused on the cart path, where body was found and some evidence of burning exists, as well as the junction at Connor Lane, Boylston, Radford, and BSR.

A car driving along BSR and taking her seems a little problematic. If this was planned, for a car to wait on BSR would be odd and someone would likely notice. Even a car pulling in or out of the cart path twice strikes me as problematic because of the risk involved. There isn't a ton of traffic on BSR but there is some. One scenario I wonder about is:

The killer knows she runs that route on Sundays at around 1ish before she leaves. He also knows she's home that weekend. So he parks his car at the cemetery, which is out of sight to anyone but a person visiting it (it's a small cemetery and can't be that busy; I've been there and seen no one). He takes his accelerant/blowtorch/taser/etc and cuts through the woods about a half mile to the cart path, where he waits for her to walk by, because she usually walks at the beginning of the her runs. She's got her headphones on and isn't on guard, like she would be in the city. She feels safe and he surprises her, silences and/or incapacitates her, drags her down the path out of site, kills her, etc, burns her post-mortem and leaves the body to be found. This could all be done fairly quickly.

He then cuts back through the woods to the cemetery, gets in his car, pulls into the road and drives off. Like the cemetery, Connor Lane is extremely quiet. There is only 1 house set back from the road. Then there's the cemetery on the opposite site at the end of a little drive. You can't see most of it from the road. At the end of the Connor lane is an open gate that looks like the way to a single house (not sure if it is or not). Even if by some odd chance someone sees a car pull onto BSR or Boylston St. from Connor Lane, they're probably not going to pay much attention.

It's a risky crime and this strikes me as the least risky way to pull it off. Maybe? The biggest risk is the fire and maybe that's the signature. There are easier, more effective ways (bleach, for one) to destroy DNA.

Where the cemetery is on Connors lane is private property and there are houses there. I don't see someone parking there and going down the cart path without being noticed by anyone in those homes. Not that there are a lot of homes, which is why it would be so weird for a car that didn't live there to be down there, and why I think it would have been noticed and it would have been risky, unless of course he just lived in one of those houses.

Also he wouldn't need a blowtorch and an accelerant, I think it would be one or the other. And I don't see him use a taser because tasers make people scream.

 

[femalejogger]

Now THIS is a significant finding femalejogger! What is the Perp used/accessed that app to track her activities?! LE should *definitely* look in to this. They could see who accessed that app, maybe even to this granular detail. Wow, this is significant, thank you!

Credit should go to Tempura, she/he posted some great info on this subject back in Thread 1 including VM's propensity to walk/jog and the fact that she consistently ran this loop clockwise by heading north on BSR from her aunt's house. I recall someone else noted her pace - it was on the slow end (11 min miles?), but that could be because of the walking. I believe the app is called Mapmyrun and, again, according to Tempura, VM changed her privacy settings so that her recent runs are not viewable to the public. Not sure if this was done for a specific reason or just out of basic caution.

 

[ThinkHard]

In my opinion, I dont think anyone hid in the woods or cut through or anything like that. I think they got close to VM because they knew her and she knew him. And I don't think his plan that day was neccasarily to kill her, but rather something happened and he snapped. I think he picked her up in his vehicle just after she set out on her walk, and then later returned her body to that spot.

I know most people don't believe that this is a possible scenario, but that's ok, everyone is entitled to their own speculation.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Credit should go to Tempura, she/he posted some great info on this subject back in Thread 1 including VM's propensity to walk/jog and the fact that she consistently ran this loop clockwise by heading north on BSR from her aunt's house. I recall someone else noted her pace - it was on the slow end (11 min miles?), but that could be because of the walking. I believe the app is called Mapmyrun and, again, according to Tempura, VM changed her privacy settings so that her recent runs are not viewable to the public. Not sure if this was done for a specific reason or just out of basic caution.

IMO, this is a big deal, and probably a very good lead for LE to follow. Did she change her settings because someone started joining her, or stalking her on her runs? Access to that app could be traced, and it would be interesting to see who in Princeton had been accessing it. Great lead.

 

[Kickoff61]

Yes , thanks. Everyone is entitled to their own speculation.

 

[Kickoff61]

Everyone's input is important. There seems to be so many ways this could have happened.

 

[Kickoff61]

Law enforcement were seeking people to pay attention for anyone with scratches or wounds, etc. We don't know what part of his body may have shown these things, but is there someone who was suddenly wearing different clothing, pants, jacket, hat or something?

 

[Tempura]

Credit should go to Tempura, she/he posted some great info on this subject back in Thread 1 including VM's propensity to walk/jog and the fact that she consistently ran this loop clockwise by heading north on BSR from her aunt's house. I recall someone else noted her pace - it was on the slow end (11 min miles?), but that could be because of the walking. I believe the app is called Mapmyrun and, again, according to Tempura, VM changed her privacy settings so that her recent runs are not viewable to the public. Not sure if this was done for a specific reason or just out of basic caution.

Thank you! With the app you're even able to see at what specific points of any given run she slowed down and walked. It'd be perfect information for anyone wanting to stalk her on a run. I also wonder why she suddenly chose to change her privacy settings. She's still searchable by name, yet her runs and routes weren't saved after that point (though she did continue to use it since there are challenges logged)

 

[ThinkHard]

If she set it to private a year ago, how would someone use it to follow her now.

Unless the person was a friend of hers and could still see her login even when it was on private. I don't know anything about that app, but does one have a "friends" list on it?

 

[rosesfromangels]

Thank you! With the app you're even able to see at what specific points of any given run she slowed down and walked. It'd be perfect information for anyone wanting to stalk her on a run. I also wonder why she suddenly chose to change her privacy settings. She's still searchable by name, yet her runs and routes weren't saved after that point (though she did continue to use it since there are challenges logged)

That change in privacy setting, the timing, is significant. She must have told someone about her concern.

 

[Kickoff61]

Thanks. You mention that it shows where she slowed down or walked . It would be helpful if it shows any places she may have stopped for a bit on her runs if she may have talked with someone who lives along the route she ran.

 

[Kickoff61]

It is hard to know whether she changed the settings due to a specific incident of her own or whether she saw incidents elsewhere that led her to decide to be more private or someone suggested in general that it would be for the better for her to do.

 

[ThinkHard]

But how would ányone be able to use data from a year prior to stalk someone in the present tense?
Would someone really assume she'd be doing the same thing at the same time as she was doing them a year earlier? I don't think a stalker would use such outdated info to track his victim.

IF he did use that app to track her, he would have to still have access to her present runs....he wouldn't have just relied on old data. So does map my run have a friends list? If so can these friends still see your data even when you've set it to private?

 

[Tempura]

If she set it to private a year ago, how would someone use it to follow her now.

Unless the person was a friend of hers and could still see her login even when it was on private. I don't know anything about that app, but does one have a "friends" list on it?

Because her route while visiting Princeton was very consistent.

 

[Tempura]

But how would ányone be able to use data from a year prior to stalk someone in the present tense?
Would someone really assume she'd be doing the same thing at the same time as she was doing them a year earlier? I don't think a stalker would use such outdated info to track his victim.

IF he did use that app to track her, he would have to still have access to her present runs....he wouldn't have just relied on old data. So does map my run have a friends list? If so can these friends still see your data even when you've set it to private?

Yes, friends can see routes.

 

[ThinkHard]

Because her route while visiting Princeton was very consistent.

I think there was a few routes she ran in Princeton, not just one.

But I don't think someone would rely on year old data and assume it still applies either

To me if someone used that app to track her, they would have to have been on her current friends list.

 

[Kickoff61]

Sorry , but I just don't see this sicko who did this as being a friend her age . Maybe an association, but not a secret friend or boyfriend.