Karina Vetrano
Karina Vetrano was found dead in Howard Beach, Queens on Tuesday, August 2, after being reported missing by her father. Instagram Page of Karina Vetrano

A Brooklyn man was arrested Saturday in connection with the killing of a New York female jogger after police used DNA evidence to discover that the suspect was linked to the victim. Police began questioning the person of interest but no charges have been filed so far, media reports said, citing sources.

This is the first arrest made in six months in the killing of Karina Vetrano. The 30-year-old had gone missing while jogging alone on Aug. 2. Police found her body in Spring Creek Park near her home in Howard Beach, and later determined that she was sexually assaulted and strangled.

"We know they have the person of interest in custody. That's all I can confirm right now," Vetrano's father, Phil, told local media.

The suspect lives in East New York and is in his 20s, sources told the New York Daily News, adding that he has no history of violent crimes. A press conference is likely to be held by the NYPD announcing the arrest.

The case saw a breakthrough after the family of the victim requested that a particular kind of familial DNA testing be conducted to help confirm the killer in the case. The Vetrano family released a petition in January that received thousands of signatures requesting that they be granted the use of familial DNA tests by the state.

The latest development also comes just days after NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce revealed that investigators had a “strong lead” in the case.

“We’ve had many strong leads as you know, but they haven’t made any progress in the investigation,” Boyce reportedly said earlier this week. “That area ... where Brooklyn meets Queens, we’ve looked through every summons, every arrest from the 106 Precinct right into the 75 and 73 (precincts).”

In their attempts to nab Vetrano's killer, her family put together a GoFundMe page to collect donations that would be used as a reward for any leads that will help crack the case. As of Saturday night, the family had raised more than $287,000, the Daily News reported.

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