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

[Mainely16]

Hi all,

Perhaps it's just me, but I hadn't seen these specifics. I've been pretty ill going on three weeks, and feel like I have been living in some kind of alternate mind-boggling, cloud-covered universe.


http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2017/02/vanessa_marcotte.html


Anyhow, for some reason, I thought the lab was in Mass and not VA, not that it matters. I also didn't know another case - Lisa Ziegert's - may also be benefiting from this technology.

[FONT=&amp]"DNA has been sent to a Virginia-based lab for analysis in two unsolved Massachusetts murders in recent months...Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. announced Thursday morning that DNA in the murder investigation of Vanessa Marcotte was sent to Parabon NanoLabs, Inc. a DNA technology company, recently coming back with a description of a person of interest in her slaying.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Early said the person of interest is a Latino man with an athletic build. He was likely bald, or had short hair at the time of the killing and likely was covered in scratches from a struggle with Marcotte.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]In addition to the Parabon, Early said his office also sent DNA recovered in the investigation the Combined DNA Index System. There were no matches, but that does not necessarily mean that the person of interest does not have a criminal background, Early said."

This is interesting:
[/FONT]
DNA in the murder case of aspiring Agawam teacher Lisa Ziegert was also sent to Parabon. (Note: This is a 25 year old case.)

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said last year that DNA analysis in that case produced images showing a fair-skinned man of European extraction, likely with hazel or brown eyes and brown or black hair."

(This brought me to tears. I am glad that I looked up updates for Vanessa, or I wouldn't have seen this. Lisa Ziegert was a 24 year old middle school teacher/assistant at the time of her abduction and murder. This was in 1992. I was living in the area (college) at that time. She was working a part-time job, nights and weekends in a card shop, like a Hallmark. Four days later (Easter Sunday), she[FONT=&amp] was found in a marsh in the woods. She had been raped and truly brutalized. Serious overkill. The FBI was involved, etc., but this was 1992.)[/FONT]

In Lisa's case, though, they used this new technology to put together a composite image of the perp, which they released this last September.

The composite of Lisa's abductor is viewable here:

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/lisa_ziegert_dna_image_of_suspect.html


If you scroll down, there is a 2 minute part of the presser

Wonder if they will do that for Vanessa, too?
----

[FONT=&amp]"Also, Early declined to discuss familial DNA use in (Vanessa's case), but said his office had the DNA of the actual person of interest.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]'We're very comfortable putting out a description of what he looks like, the car he was driving, and the condition he was in that day,' Early said.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Few details about the investigation have been released since Marcotte's death. In November, officials said a dark-colored SUV was seen near the scene of the murder.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Early has previously said that the attacker appeared to have fought with Marcotte before the killing and likely was covered in scratches later that day and in the following days."



[/FONT]Mainely :flu:

 

[Joshua M]

It's seven months tomorrow since Vanessa was killed

Hopefully, as every day passes, we are progressing to an arrest

And, as every day passes, things become that slightly more bearable for her parents

 

[searunner]

Another article about the Feb. 23 press conference. Nothing new, I believe. The article did note that Early "would not say if Marcotte was specifically targeted, nor exactly where the DNA was collected."

The article also quotes from the family statement at the press conference that Vanessa "went for a walk on the lovely afternoon of Aug. 7, 2016." Again, that discrepancy between "run" and "walk." It doesn't necessarily mean anything but I thought it was interesting.

http://www.leominsterchamp.com/articles/dna-yields-new-clues-in-vanessa-marcotte-murder-case/

Thanks for this, Coleraine. I agree that in Vanessa's case, it doesn't matter if she was walking or running. However, I think it matters for other women.

I believe that walking most likely makes a woman more of a target (assuming all else remains the same, as in the walking/running course). If a women is running, a predator might think twice about trying to abduct her into his car (which is what I think probably happened with Vanessa) because he might be unsure as to whether she'll be able to outrun him. And these monsters want easier victims, which is why they often attack more petite women. If a woman is already running, she has more momentum than if she were walking and needed to abruptly start running to try to get away from some sick predator.

I know I always start running if I'm walking, just as I run faster if I'm already running, if I spot any creepy guy(s) -- or any men for that matter, as you can't be too safe -- that I need to pass when in an area with few people around.

I can't wait until they catch this monster -- and they will. I only hope they catch him before he tries to abduct another woman.

FYI, women: It's looking like stun guns will soon be legal in the handful of states where they are currently illegal (Mass is one). There have been some promising legal actions in a couple states pertaining to this subject. These are a must for all women runners/walkers. In fact, I'd say every woman should have one. In the meantime, pepper spray is legal in every state.

 

[Indy Anna]

Hi all,

Perhaps it's just me, but I hadn't seen these specifics. I've been pretty ill going on three weeks, and feel like I have been living in some kind of alternate mind-boggling, cloud-covered universe.


http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2017/02/vanessa_marcotte.html


Anyhow, for some reason, I thought the lab was in Mass and not VA, not that it matters. I also didn't know another case - Lisa Ziegert's - may also be benefiting from this technology.

[FONT=&amp]"DNA has been sent to a Virginia-based lab for analysis in two unsolved Massachusetts murders in recent months...Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. announced Thursday morning that DNA in the murder investigation of Vanessa Marcotte was sent to Parabon NanoLabs, Inc. a DNA technology company, recently coming back with a description of a person of interest in her slaying.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Early said the person of interest is a Latino man with an athletic build. He was likely bald, or had short hair at the time of the killing and likely was covered in scratches from a struggle with Marcotte.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]In addition to the Parabon, Early said his office also sent DNA recovered in the investigation the Combined DNA Index System. There were no matches, but that does not necessarily mean that the person of interest does not have a criminal background, Early said."

This is interesting:
[/FONT]
DNA in the murder case of aspiring Agawam teacher Lisa Ziegert was also sent to Parabon. (Note: This is a 25 year old case.)

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said last year that DNA analysis in that case produced images showing a fair-skinned man of European extraction, likely with hazel or brown eyes and brown or black hair."

(This brought me to tears. I am glad that I looked up updates for Vanessa, or I wouldn't have seen this. Lisa Ziegert was a 24 year old middle school teacher/assistant at the time of her abduction and murder. This was in 1992. I was living in the area (college) at that time. She was working a part-time job, nights and weekends in a card shop, like a Hallmark. Four days later (Easter Sunday), she[FONT=&amp] was found in a marsh in the woods. She had been raped and truly brutalized. Serious overkill. The FBI was involved, etc., but this was 1992.)[/FONT]

In Lisa's case, though, they used this new technology to put together a composite image of the perp, which they released this last September.

The composite of Lisa's abductor is viewable here:

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/lisa_ziegert_dna_image_of_suspect.html


If you scroll down, there is a 2 minute part of the presser

Wonder if they will do that for Vanessa, too?
----

[FONT=&amp]"Also, Early declined to discuss familial DNA use in (Vanessa's case), but said his office had the DNA of the actual person of interest.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]'We're very comfortable putting out a description of what he looks like, the car he was driving, and the condition he was in that day,' Early said.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Few details about the investigation have been released since Marcotte's death. In November, officials said a dark-colored SUV was seen near the scene of the murder.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Early has previously said that the attacker appeared to have fought with Marcotte before the killing and likely was covered in scratches later that day and in the following days."



[/FONT]Mainely :flu:

Thank you for the update, Mainely. It sounds promising re catching Vanessa's killer.

I hope you're feeling better!

 

[Rocky1]

http://www.fox25boston.com/news/hun...-money-honor-vanessa-marcotte-in-5k/501964608

 

[Rocky1]

I was reading about the Snapshot DNA testing that was used in this case.
It will give you hair color, but not the length.
I wonder if his hair was so short that he didn't leave hair DNA behind.
The reason I wonder, is, because if someone gave a description of him, it would be easy to determine if someones head is shaven, or he has short cropped hair.
They also said his height was average. Snapshot won't determine height, so I wonder if this guy was seen standing outside of the SUV, or if they calculated it some other way.
I think that LE also has a composite of this guy. I have looked at some other composites from Parabon, and although they are very close in accuracy, I can see how someone may be throw off, so maybe LE doesn't want to release it yet.
At the very least, LE can compare it to mugshots in the database for those that haven't had their DNA taken.

 

[Ragamuffingunner]

I hope they are advertising this case within the Latino communities

 

[Cem75]

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe even a radio slot in Spanish?

 

[searunner]

Nice thought about advertising in the Latino communities, Ragamuffingunner. (Couldn't respond using your quote, as that function is acting up on my end.) Like Cem, I was also thinking the same thing.

My thought would also include giving out flyers outside Catholic churches in Worchester and any other area in the region with higher concentrations of Latinos. Vast majority of Latinos are Catholic (and many are very connected to the Church), so the "reach" might be good.

This topic also brings up something I've been wondering about for awhile: WHERE IS A $$$ REWARD (specifically from Google, or Alphabet, as the company is now called)?? With the description just out, this would be great timing for a reward. I think most people would do the right thing without there being a reward, but a fat $ reward could incentivize people to be more proactive -- think more, mind their neighbors' business more, etc.

 

[Mainely16]

Hey all,

Still here watching for information and updates re: Vanessa. Going to try and do some sleuthing today; I spent the last week stuck in the hospital, so had time to do some thinking, but no reseach.

Just wanted to touch base so the forum feels a tad less empty. I know that we are all far from giving up on Vanessa's continued story.

 

[Mainely16]

Additonally, want to acknowledge many good thoughts here contributed by other members. They sparked some ideas that I'll touch on in my follow up post.

 

[Steleheart]

I can't help but wonder why a sketch has not been issued from the Parabon profile. It seems so common with that technology.

 

[coastal]

Hey all,

Still here watching for information and updates re: Vanessa. Going to try and do some sleuthing today; I spent the last week stuck in the hospital, so had time to do some thinking, but no reseach.

Just wanted to touch base so the forum feels a tad less empty. I know that we are all far from giving up on Vanessa's continued story.

Hope you're feeling much better, Mainely16!

 

[searunner]

Hey all,

Still here watching for information and updates re: Vanessa. Going to try and do some sleuthing today; I spent the last week stuck in the hospital, so had time to do some thinking, but no reseach.

Just wanted to touch base so the forum feels a tad less empty. I know that we are all far from giving up on Vanessa's continued story.

So sorry to hear you were in the hospital for a week! I hope you're feeling better, Mainely.

Btw, I like your somewhat newish tagline. One of my favorite sayings is similar: The truth will set you free.

 

[jandd8990]

Hi everyone, new user here. My wife and I live near the area where Vanessa was killed, a few towns away. We ran into this story a couple of times since the Marcotte murder and with the new information regarding the suspect's assumed race and the similarities between the attempted abductees and Vanessa Marcotte, we think there's a chance of a connection. Has anyone on this thread looked into this story yet? There are some eerie similarities.

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2016/06/men_try_to_abduct_women_in_sep.html

 

[Emb72]

Hi everyone, new user here. My wife and I live near the area where Vanessa was killed, a few towns away. We ran into this story a couple of times since the Marcotte murder and with the new information regarding the suspect's assumed race and the similarities between the attempted abductees and Vanessa Marcotte, we think there's a chance of a connection. Has anyone on this thread looked into this story yet? There are some eerie similarities.

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2016/06/men_try_to_abduct_women_in_sep.html

This has been gone over, pretty sure on this thread and previous one's. Very eerie.

 

[Steleheart]

Hi everyone, new user here. My wife and I live near the area where Vanessa was killed, a few towns away. We ran into this story a couple of times since the Marcotte murder and with the new information regarding the suspect's assumed race and the similarities between the attempted abductees and Vanessa Marcotte, we think there's a chance of a connection. Has anyone on this thread looked into this story yet? There are some eerie similarities.

http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2016/06/men_try_to_abduct_women_in_sep.html

Hey there jandd8990. :welcome: to Websleuths!

I am still leaving that connection open in my own mind. AFAIK LE has not stated that there is no connection. At least one sketch of a perp in one of those cases could conceivably be a match to the perp's DNA description in Vanessa's case. It's too much coincidence IMO for there to be. If there were 2 of them working in tandem I can see one of them driving off so as to not have the vehicle parked there too long. They failed at abduction twice.

In my mind I still think VM's murder was an abduction gone wrong - that she put up to big a fight. As much has been said by LE in what to look for as to someone's injuries in the days that followed.

I still would like to see a sketch from LE based on the DNA profile.

MOO

 

[Ragamuffingunner]

I wonder if there is any chance this guy is an undocumented worker, and therefore is not in the system. If so, he could have left the country by now. I hope not

 

[ForensicMass]

I have been thinking a lot about why nobody could recall more about the suspect vehicle and what that might tell us about the killer.

The description given by police was presumably one that was generic enough to represent numerous eyewitness accounts identifying the subject vehicle. The police described the car as being a dark colored SUV. To me this description indicates that most likely multiple witness accounts of the car did not agree on a color. Perhaps someone said they saw a blue SUV and someone else said they thought it was black, leaving the police with no option but to classify it as dark so as to be sure not to exclude the correct color. Beyond the color we don't know anything about this SUV. And to me that says that the multiple witnesses that saw it did not mention any other incidental characteristics of it They did not mention if it was old or new they did not mention if it was beat up or damaged they did not mention if it had any memorable stickers or out-of-state license plates. To me this indicates that the subject car lacked any of these characteristics which might set it apart from the average vehicle. If the car had been really beat up or old I would expect someone to remember that characteristic at least as much as they remembered the color of it. Based on these facts I suspect that the subject SUV is neither brand-new nor significantly old or damaged. From a Socio economic standpoint this would point toward someone with a job. and not to get too profile-y, I don't think this was the vehicle of an undocumented worker. I live in farm country and I could pick an undocumented workers car out of a lineup nine out of 10 times. I don't mean this as a knock on them. I simply am observing that people who are not of great financial means or who have great financial stresses or who have family outside of the US to whom they send most of their money Are not frivolous in their spending. This type of workers typically drive smaller vehicles that are better on gas and typically these vehicles are older.

someone driving an SUV is not concerned about the day-to-day additional expenses incurred by driving an SUV that uses twice as much gas as a smaller car. They are also not concerned about the additional maintenance costs associated with owning and fixing SUVs.

Specific to this case, we have a Hispanic perpetrator and therefore we are very likely have a perpetrator who was not from town based on the demographics of the town. That means this person was traveling around in their SUV. If this was the same person or people involved in Westborough they are covering some ground Further evidence to demonstrate that this is not someone who is completely broke or not working

 

[BeesInMyBonnet]

Piggybacking on your post, ForensicMass, I find it curious/frustrating that there is no indication of the SUV size. The GMC Yukon and the Ford Escape are both SUVS, for example, but they are remarkably different sizes.


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