A 27-year-old woman was found dead after she went for a jog in Princeton, Massachusetts, on Sunday, August 7, according to multiple reports.
New York City resident Vanessa Marcotte’s body was discovered by authorities in a rural wooded area about half a mile from her mother’s home on Sunday night, just hours after she was reported missing. CBS Boston reported that the victim’s body was burned.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. urged locals during a press conference on Monday, August 8, to “use an abundance of caution” and “be very careful” amid the ongoing investigation. He also noted that the death is being investigated as a homicide.
“People should be concerned,” Early added.
Marcotte, who graduated from Boston University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, worked as an account manager at Google in New York City, according to her LinkedIn account.
“Vanessa Marcotte was a much loved member of the Google team, working in our New York office for the last year and a half, and known for her ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work and love of Boston sports,” a Google spokesperson told CNN. “We are deeply shocked and saddened, and our thoughts are with her family and friends.”
Marcotte’s former professor Steve Quigley, who she reportedly kept in contact with after graduation, told CBS Boston, “She was kind, very bright and unfailingly gracious. My heart is broken and my thoughts are with her family.”
An autopsy is still pending. No arrests have been made.
