The charred, naked corpse of a Manhattan-based Google manager was found in a wooded area outside Boston hours after she left her parents’ home for a run, authorities said Monday.
Vanessa Marcotte, 27, was visiting her mom in Princeton, Mass., on Sunday, when she began her run around 1 p.m. and never came back, according to WCVB-TV.
Around 8:20 p.m., police dogs found her body, with her hands, feet and part of her head burned, a source told the station.
“We have a horrible set of facts, horrible circumstance,” said Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.
“We cannot tell whether or not this was a random act at this point.”
It’s the first homicide in Princeton in nearly 30 years, according to Police Chief Michelle Powers.
No arrests had been made as of Monday evening.
Marcotte, who had worked at Google for a year-and-a-half, was based at the firm’s offices in Chelsea.
“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 representative said.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened, and our thoughts are with her family and friends.”
Marcotte grew up in Leominster, Mass., and graduated from Boston University in 2011 with a BA in communications.
She then worked at the printed-marketing firm Vistaprint for two years before joining Google, WCVB reports.
Larry Kim, her former boss at the Boston-based marketing firm WordStream, was heartbroken.
“I am just in complete disbelief. She was a wonderful young woman and very ambitious and had a brilliant career cut short,” Kim told the Boston Globe.
Boston University spokesman Colin Riley said school officials feel “terrible for her family and friends.”
“They’re in our thoughts and prayers,” he said.
