What has been said publicly about the Marcotte and Vetrano cases? I know Karina's father said early on the cases are "totally unrelated" and that NY police said they did not believe there was a link. As far as I can tell, Mass police have only stated they're "not ruling anything out," which also suggests they are unrelated. But in the press conference, there are two times when Early looks down. Once when they ask about the KV case - he breaks eye contact and looks directly at the ground for a moment. He breaks eye contact again when they ask about past relationships; he looks down to the left, which perhaps suggests he's thinking/remembering what's he's learned from interviews (which is not to suggest anything bad about Vanessa). He also hesitates when asked if there is a Mass investigator in NY; after that, the pr guy steps in and says Early will take "one more question."
The FBI gets involved at that point. Is there a link between the crimes after all and that's what Early's being deceptive about? Or does he already know they're "totally unrelated" and doesn't want to say that for some reason? It's possible the FBI got involved for another unknown reason or simply because Vanessa lived in NYC and was killed in MA; that might be considered crossing state lines, one of the criteria for FBI involvement. The FBI were called in very quickly on in the Vetrano case because it happened on federal land. It unclear what their current involvement is in either case.
Here are the similarities I can see:
Both were around the same age and looked somewhat similar (very attractive, petite, fit, dark hair, dark eyes, some Italian ancestry).
Both were only children who were close with their parents.
Both were educated, successful and lived in NYC.
Both posted frequently on social media, including FB and instagram (like most women in their twenties).
Both were not currently in relationships.
Both bodies were severely disfigured. Vetrano was said to be beaten "beyond recognition" according to some MSM reports. Vanessa would have also likely been "beyond recognition" due to burns on face.
Both were killed while running alone with earbuds in remote areas.
Both were violated sexually in some way (though details have not been released)
One running shoe was missing from both scenes of the crime.
Both bodies were found within hours of the point at which they went missing.
Both women were likely killed at the site they were attacked.
Both bodies were left exposed and partially unclothed.
It would probably have been known both would be reported missing very quickly.
Both may have left scratches, etc. on their killer.
Both were killed within days of each other.
Both murders gained national attention.
Differences/possible differences
Vanessa was burned and possibly tied to a tree; Karina was not.
We don't know cause of death for Vanessa; Karina was strangled so severely it almost broke her neck.
We don't know if Vanessa's phone was found in the vicinity of the murder; Karina's was found 15 feet from her body
Vanessa was killed in a small town. Vetrano was killed in Queens.
Vanessa seemed focused more on her work, according to MSM. Vetrano worked two jobs but had a very active social life, which she blogged about very candidly.
All of these similarities could be coincidental or we could be looking at a copy cat killer. If the police have said Vanessa's killer is probably left-handed, why have they not stated the DNA doesn't match Vetrano's? They had a profile in late August. Is that normal procedure?
Many, if not all, of the similarities can be explained away. Most women have brown hair and brown eyes. Many fit women in their twenties are the victims of these types of crimes. If someone did target either of them, their run locations would have been the easiest place to do so. The similarities may have nothing to do with m.o. and everything to do with practicality. That said, it seems to hard to believe a second killer wouldn't have been aware of the similarities and taken them into account when planning the crime.