Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Murdered jogger Karina Vetrano's father talks to Nancy Grace

Episode Date: January 24, 2017

The father of murdered New York jogger Karina Vetrano lives every day seeking justice for his daughter. His current fight is to convince New York officials to approve a groundbreaking new DNA analysis that he hopes will help find the killer. Phil Vetrano shares with Nancy Grace emotional details of the day of his daughter’s death. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. She had left barely an hour earlier for her evening run at 5 o'clock. Justice for my daughter. Retribution. That is everything I live for. It's all I do. This is Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. DNA recovered from the crime scene this summer failed to match anyone in either the federal or state databases. But Phil is urging investigators to conduct more sophisticated screening called familial searching.

I've thought of every different scenario, every different one, because all I have time to do is think about what happened and why. It was over four months ago that a beautiful young girl goes for a run very near her home that she shares with her dad, her family. That was the one day that Phil Vetrano did not go jogging with his daughter. And when I first heard this scenario, it reminded me so much of my dad Mac because whenever we're in the same town together he would walk while I was jog every single time it was some of the happiest times I've ever had and when I heard that that day Phil had an ailment, he did not go running, and then his daughter didn't show up.

She didn't come back on time, and he knew immediately something was wrong. And he was right. Something came to him and said, she needs you. Of course, right now, I know that you know I'm talking about Karina Vetrano. She's been called the New York jogger. He found his daughter's body. I can't even imagine the pain he has endured. And right now, we are fighting for justice because her killer is still at large.

Thank you for being with us today. This is Nancy Grace with Crime Stories, and I am deeply honored to have with me Phil Vetrano, who has taken time out of his schedule to be with us today and speak on behalf of his daughter, Karina. Phil, thank you for being with us. Oh, Nancy, it's always a pleasure, and thank you. I just feel guilty that you even say thank you to me, because when I am recounting this story, I remember that moment I heard that Karina had gone missing and was found dead.

And she fought for her life. She fought so hard. I want to go back with you and go through the events that day. Bring us up to right now and your efforts to find her killer. What happened that day? It was August 2nd, around 5 p.m., broad daylight. What happened? Correct.

It was August 2nd, broad daylight. She left the house around 5.30. She said, Daddy, I'm going to go for a run. And she asked me if I wanted to come. And I said, I can't today, Corrine, because my back is hurt. And I asked her, are you going to go in there, meaning the trail in the weeds? And she said, yeah. And I said, Corrine, do you think it's a good idea she said don't worry

daddy I'll be okay and she went off and she was only gone 20 minutes when this feeling came over me like something was wrong. So I called her phone at 627, 628, 630. I was watching the news. I was eating dinner. And I just said, damn. I didn't say damn, but the word's similar to damn. And my wife had just gotten home from the hospital, and she said, what's the matter? And I said, Corrina's not answering her phone. And my wife didn't even know she went out for a run.

So I went looking for her. And I walked the trail where we usually run. I stopped about 200 feet from where she was because I didn't think we ever went that far. And I turned around, I came out, I called a friend of mine in the PD, and I told him, Karina's missing. She's not answering our phone. And within 15 minutes, we had patrol cars. Within a half hour, we had helicopters. We had bloodhounds. We had 300 people looking for her.

They happened to unlock her phone. She had an Apple product, which was very difficult to unlock. But because Karina had asthma, they were able to unlock the phone, and we found the location. And at 10.30, I went to where the phone was found. And I just, she called me. You know, she came to me and called me and led me to where she was. And I just walked into the weeds and found her. I am, I can hardly even respond to you Hill when I'm hearing you retell this story about your daughter going missing it's just um

I know it's painful for me to hear it so I can only imagine how it is for you to tell it and I remember at some point when I would tell the story of my fiance's murder, at some point I would just go numb and recount the story. But when you tell that, when you say she came to you, did you hear a voice in your head? What happened? No, it's the same way that I got the feeling when I was watching the news, when I knew something was wrong.

Karina and myself, we weren't just, you know, father and daughter. She was like my best friend. And we did everything together. So. Okay, I got to tell you something, Phil. You are really getting to me right now because I told you this in person in New York City not long ago. But that's how I was with my father. We did everything together.

He would go with us. He and my mom would go with us on vacations. He would stay up at the house with us, go with me to pick up the children from school. Everything. Exercise together, eat dinners together. I mean, it's just such a huge void in your life. And you've got to figure this thing out. So you find your cell phone, and then what happens?

Well, the cops found the cell phone. So I went to where the police were. There were about 15 cops there at the time. There was bloodhounds. There was a helicopter with heat sensor on it. And I said, where's the phone? And they pointed in a direction, he said, about 50 feet in. And, you know, they didn't touch the phone.

They left it to CSI. So I said, okay, you know, they didn't touch the phone. They left it to CSI. So I said, okay, you know, it's pitch black now. And I start walking deeper into the trail, you know, just walking. And then I told myself or somebody or something told me no. So I turned around and I walked in the other direction. I got to about 50 feet from where the phone was on the trail, and I just stopped. And, you know, there's a trail to the right, and there's a trail to the left. You can go any of the way, and the weeds are eight feet high.

And I just stopped. I turned to my right. I looked at the weeds, And I just walked in. And I made it about 30, 35 feet. And that's where she was. You know, she, she needed her father. She needed me to find her. There's no question. Why do you say that? Why do you say she needed you to find her? Well, because if anyone was going to find her, if she had any power over the situation, it would be me. She needed her daddy to bring her home.

Of course she did. When you saw her, was there any doubt in your mind that she had passed away and there was no way to revive her. Well, at first sight, you know, she didn't look that bad. And, you know, being a trained paramedic, you know, FDNY, you know, my initial reaction is to check for pulse, you know. And as soon as I lifted her, I knew, because the rigor started to set in already. Oh, you know, I've got a question for you. And this is a completely personal question on my part.

It's not evidentiary or fact finding. I remember after my, you know, everyone in the room in my family was telling my father, go ahead, you can go. I literally had my lips on his ear saying, Daddy, don't go. Do not go. Stay here with me. Do not leave. After everyone left the room and he had gone on to heaven, I remember that the nurse wanted me to leave and just leave his body there. And you know, absolutely, of course,

I would never do that. But it just, I just could not leave him there. Even though I knew he was no longer in his body. After you found her, what happened? Did they take her? What happened then? Well, after I found her, all hell broke loose. You know, I was immediately, as soon as they heard me wail, you know, the police came in and they told me, sir, you have to put her down.

You have to put her down. This is a crime scene. So I put her down and I said, okay, when are we going to get her out of there? And it was 10.30 at night. And they said, well, we have to wait for the medical examiner to come. The ambulance has to come. So, you know, half hour was going by, and I'm starting to lose my mind, and I'm screaming, where the hell are they?

Do you want me to go get them? And, you know, little did I know that, of course, it's a crime scene. And they were just telling me that because they wanted to pacify me. About another half hour goes by, and I'm saying, what's taking them so long? You've got to get her out of there. And then I started getting some calls saying that they're starting to hear some rumors. And, you know, of course, my wife's rumors about, you know, me finding her or us finding her and that she was no longer with us. And because my wife didn't know at this point. Nobody knew at this point. Oh, no. Oh, no. Is that how your wife found out? No, no. So I got a call

saying, Phil, you better get over here and you need to talk to your wife. So I made my way back home and I broke the news to her. So it turns out they didn't get her out of there until five, six hours later because, of course, it's a crime scene. They had to bring CSI. They had to, you know, do whatever they do at a crime scene. You know, people don't understand unless you've gone through it yourself. You're about out of your mind because it doesn't seem real. I remember when my fiance was killed, they told me that he was gone. But then in my mind,

I thought, well, wait a minute, maybe that was wrong. Maybe he's alive. And if I can get there fast enough, maybe I can help. You know, maybe this, maybe that. I mean, your mind is doing all sorts of contortions to make it not real. That's what I remember. I still don't believe it's real. I don't think I'll ever believe it's real. You know what's crazy? Not last night, but night before last.

I dreamed that Keith was still alive, my fiance, and I saw him. And he went, listen, it was like a big secret. He goes, dial this number and we'll meet. And dial my cell number. All right. So then I tried to dial the number. And, of course, the digits were wrong. There's always a reason in every dream that it doesn't happen.

Because I guess in your mind you're still trying to rationalize that it did happen. I guess your body and your mind has a safety precaution that doesn't let you digest everything all at one time because then you would just go totally insane. So after that, when I first realized what had happened to Karina. And I heard about you. I immediately started covering it, covering it, covering it, covering it. And then as the days went, I thought for sure with a crime scene like that, that it would be a matter of days, if not hours, that the killer was going to be caught.

Because I was convinced there was plenty of DNA at the scene, there were going to be fingerprints, and that was that. Yes. It did not happen that way. Well, there was plenty of evidence. And I was told by the chief of detectives the very next day, saying we're going to get this guy and we're going to get him right away. But little did anybody know that he, this person, this murderer, was not in the database. His DNA was never on file.

Oh, dear Lord in heaven. Yes. Oh. Oh, I just don't understand it, Phil, because this is contrary to everything I know, and I know it to be true, about criminal psychopathy. You don't just suddenly, one day, commit a murder. It doesn't happen like that, typically, especially a murder like this. It's so hard for me to believe he has never been in trouble before. And the reason we're talking about this, everyone, for a moment, I feel like I'm just talking on the phone to Phil Vetrano.

This is Karina Vetrano's father. We're talking about DNA in the DNA database, CODIS, like APHIS, which is the fingerprint database. Everybody's in there if you have ever had a federal job, a government job, if you've ever gotten booked on anything. Now, sometimes people give fingerprints for all sorts of reasons, pawn shops, you name it, that goes into APHIS. Now Now there's CODIS for DNA. And if you are convicted in many jurisdictions, your DNA goes into a databank. Whoever murdered this beautiful girl, their DNA, which was found at the scene, is not matching up to a database. What about mitochondrial or familial DNA? What about that, Phil? The scene is not matching up to a database.

What about mitochondrial or familial DNA? What about that, Phil? Well, that is what we're working on. We have a special meeting with the forensic subcommittee on February 10th. And this meeting has come about just because of Karina. This is a special meeting, and they're going to vote. Who is they? Who is they? A subcommittee.

What subcommittee? Well, this comes down from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice. They decide if it's a good idea to put this on the table, to put this out for a vote. And we put so much pressure on them that they call for a special meeting. And at this meeting, there's going to be scientists. The people on the board of the subcommittee are scientists. And they're going to vote if it's a good process to use or it's not a good process are you talking about mitochondrial or familial dna we're talking about familial dna

goodness that's what i was hoping you're going to say and in a nutshell without a lot of legal or scientific terms what that means is we've got the killer's DNA that he left on the scene. If it is allowed to compare that to familial DNA, what that will do is if anybody in his family or a relative has ever been arrested and their DNA is in the data bank, it will match it. And that way you'll go to that family member it could be a mother a sister a female cousin a male cousin that gives you a lead it's finding the straw in the haystack it's you know the needle in a haystack that's what it would be you would go to that relative that has been in the CODA system

and then you've got a lead you've got a clue right that is correct but I just want to add because a lot of people don't understand that only criminals DNA are in the database so we're only targeting criminals. That's absolutely correct. And what I was saying about fingerprints, if you like, I had to get my fingerprints to be a district attorney or to end when I was a fed. We're not talking about fingerprints. We're talking about DNA and only criminals are in the DNA system. That is correct. It's like when you drive a car and you get a driver's license. You give up certain privacy

in order to be on the roads. You've got your name, your DOB, your address, you have to take a test. In a lot of places you have to give a fingerprint your photo that gives you a pass to ride on the roads okay when you are convicted felon you give up the right to have a gun sometimes you give up the right to vote and you have to give your DNA that's the deal. Okay. You go in the system, you go in jails, you give your DNA, bam, end of story. And it's very simple. It's like putting a Q-tip along the inside of your mouth. That's giving DNA. So there's really no question when you are convicted of a felony,

then you give your DNA. I don't really understand what the complaint is, because if you're in the DNA system, you're a criminal, and you had to give your DNA. You gave up the right to keep that private. I mean, am I missing something, Phil? No, no, you're absolutely positively right, and the people that are against this, I believe they're only against it because of their ignorance of the facts. They really don't know what the process is, and they think their Fourth Amendment rights are going to be questioned. They're going to lose their Fourth Amendment right. But they don't understand the DNA is already there. It's in the database, and it's only there for convicted criminals.

So, like you said, you give up certain rights when you're technique whereby a crime scene profile is run through the offender, the criminal databank, hoping to get a list of profiles similar to the DNA found at the scene. It's just that simple. And it's really come to the forefront because of you, Phil Petrano, and Karina, your daughter. Now, some people argue it's a controversial method that attracts suspects in crimes by using the DNA of their relatives. Yeah, that's exactly what it is. And I don't understand the problem. What is the problem? Well, only criminals would not want this done.

Like you said, your fingerprints are on file. I'm a fireman. My fingerprints are on file. People that have nothing to hide shouldn't be concerned about it. Only criminals don't want this done. Did you know that there are already many states that allow familial DNA searches did you know that not New York now Ohio has allowed it since 2012 anyway I think there's about 12 that

allow it of course they have it in the UK, okay? And typically, it uses the DNA of male relatives to catch the perp. And I think that there may be a scientific reason, but I believe it's because most violent felonies are committed by men. I don't know if that's the connection. Now, I guess it's the ACLU, right, that don't think you should use DNA, familial DNA. Is that the problem? That is absolutely right, Nancy. You know what? I'll let them take Karina Vetrano's killer home for dinner.

How about that? If they don't want familial DNA? Because that's what they're asking for. Some people claim, such as Civil Liberties, ACLU, this violates the Fourth Amendment that protects you from unreasonable search or seizure of your DNA. You give it up when you go to jail. That's the rationale behind this. What about a composite sketch? What do we think the composite looks like? We were unable to get a composite with the profile. I've been told that it's not the right DNA and it's not the, we didn't have

enough of that particular type of DNA. But what we have, we have a complete profile, meaning that once the person is apprehended, it would be a 100% complete match. No question. Definitely the perpetrator. Are you familiar with the name Justin Christian? He was accused in the kidnapping, attempted kidnapping of a 10-year-old little girl and the rape of a 6-year-old girl. The rape of a 6-year-old girl in Cleveland and familial DNA led to one of his relatives and then allegedly to him. Then they matched his DNA.

So it's being done. Yes. This just happened about two months ago in Ohio. They made their first arrest conviction through his brother. So Canada wants to do it. It is done in a number of states, like you mentioned, but it has never been embarrassing because New York is the center of the modern world. Things should start in New York. We shouldn't have such a hard time making this, being able to be used in New York. You know, I have to agree with you on that. New York is viewed by many as the capital of the world. And of Criminal Justice for the last eight years.

They just never acted upon it until I put the heat up. Did you know the first state they did it was California? And that was back in 2008. They allow it. Colorado allows it. Florida. Texas allows it. Florida. Texas. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Ohio now. And I'm just very surprised. Typically, the frontrunners are legal trends are California, Florida, and New York. And believe it or not, Georgia, because they follow along because of their proximity to Florida. Florida will do it, and then Georgia will follow it, because we've got a very fluid

line between Florida and Georgia. So I've noticed that legal trend between the two of those. So what do we have to do? How can we help you feel I have an online petition on change.org familiar DNA testing for Karina Vetrano I'm not that great of a typist hold on I'm going right now change change go Change.org. Yep. Familiar DNA testing.

Oh, shouldn't there be a slash in there somewhere? Well, if you put that in, it'll come up. Just familiar DNA testing for Karina Vetrano, and you'll see the petition. I'm doing it right now to make sure that the listeners can do it as well. Karina Bertrano, do you think they'll pay any attention to the will of the people at all? They should. Well, they should, shouldn't they? Famous last words. Okay, you know what? It does. It does turn up. Change.org. This is what I put in.

I put change.org familialial DNA, Karina Vetrano, and it says two petitions, and then it plunks follow. Okay, I'm doing it. Change.org. What else can we do, Phil, beside fill this out, pray? What else? beside fill this out pray what else yes and get in touch with the new york new york state department of criminal justice uh via email uh via phone call and support this uh familiar testing and when they get to the meeting on the 10th hopefully they'll have a proposal ready and it'll turn out in our favor and they can start using it immediately.

You know, Phil, you have given me a real gift today because I prosecuted crimes for so long and when I switched to TV, I never knew if discussing them or putting a light on them really did any good in helping in any way but by giving me giving me this your change.org petition and the date of the hearing, which is February the 10th, I feel that, I believe, I don't feel it, I believe that we can try to make a difference and find who killed your daughter and at least give her that amount of justice. That's all we can do now is try to seek justice for her. That is all we can do. And you are absolutely right. The reason we got so much attention so

quickly and we ruffled so many feathers is because of people like you, people in the media that went out either on the radio or on television or in the newspaper and put this out there. Because this is the only reason that the state had decided to act on it, because they were getting so much pressure. And it's only because of people like yourself that helped. You know what else, Phil? You know why bad or evil or crime or whatever you want to call it, you know why it wins? It wins because we become complacent.

Exactly. And we're just, you know, fat, dumb, and happy. We just go about our business. And we're not hearing the cries of other people and thinking, what can I do about it? What can I do today to make a difference? And you have given us something we can do to affect change. And I want to thank you for that. Please help us bring about change that may result, God willing, in apprehending the killer of this gorgeous young girl. Her father's heart is broken.

Her mother's heart is broken. The only thing we can do for Karina Petrano now is seek justice. I am continuing to cover this on crimeonline.com, and we will be back with Phil Vetrano as this date nears, this crucial date of February 10. Phil Vetrano, thank you, and to everyone listening right now, Thank you for being with us. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.