‘Healing Can Start': Community Reacts to Arrest in Murdered Jogger Case

What to Know

  • Vanessa Marcotte was killed on Aug. 7 when she went for a jog while visiting her family in Princeton, Mass.
  • Her body, which investigators say was naked and partially burned, was found in a remote and wooded area about a half mile away.
  • Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early said the DNA profile shows the person of interest is an athletic, light-skinned male and about 30.

Residents of a Massachusetts community shocked by the grisly murder of a woman while she was jogging, are breathing a sigh of relief after investigators announced an arrest in connection with the case.

At the Mountainside Market, a staple in the quiet town of Princeton, people said they were relieved to hear about an arrest in the murder of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte, but also curious to learn more about the suspect, identified by sources as 31-year-old Angelo Colon Ortiz.

"It will be interesting to see his story, where he came from, and what his motivations were," Ryan Gibbons said while stopping during a bike ride Saturday morning. "I'm sure there's, you know, all kinds of things you can speculate about him, but until they dig, we're not going to know for a fact."

Kelly Tuttle who lives in nearby town Sterling says even though a suspect has been caught, she’s not sure if she would along the paths in Princeton alone.

“I feel like I’ve known Vanessa and I don’t even know her, but it’s really touched all of us,” she said.

Emily Truax said she's paid close attention to the "nerve-wracking" case because her best friend lives in the area.

"I'm hoping that it brings the family some closure," she said about the arrest. "It's the best we can really hope for."

Another woman who lives in the area said the community will feel relieved that "justice is about to start."

"I think everyone just wants justice for her, so maybe that can start and a little bit of healing can start" as well, she said.

Marcotte, a former Google employee who lived in New York City, was visiting her mother in Princeton in August 2016 when she left for a jog one morning. She never returned.

Investigators found her body later that evening in a remote, wooded-area naked and partially burned. There were also signs that she had struggled with her attacker.

Marcotte's family has no comment on the investigation at this time.

State police are expected to speak with the Worcester district attorney Saturday afternoon.

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