Police sources say a young woman found dead in Queens late Tuesday night was sexually assaulted and strangled. NY1's Michael Herzenberg filed the following report.

Karina Vetrano was known in Howard Beach as someone full of life. On Instagram, she called herself a "daydreamer" and a "thrill-seeker."

Polce say at 5 p.m. Tuesday, she left her father at home for a run. He asked her not to go alone in nearby Springcreek Park. Police say she did anyway and was texting with a friend during her jog, but then the messages stopped, her phone went unanswered and at 7, her dad, a retired firefighter, contacted a neighbor, a high-ranking police officer, and a search began.

At 9, detectives got a ping on her phone, 15 feet off a path in the park.

"The father had walked us through this path to help us with where she normally ran. The father then went into the woods and then found the body with detectives right after him," said NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. "You can imagine his angst at that point."

Police say Vetrano's clothes were in disarray, there were marks on her body, and it appears she was raped and strangled.

"We're investigating anybody who used this park," Boyce said. "There is a lot of digital evidence, home video cameras that look in the street. We're collecting that as well.  At one point, at 5:46, running by one of the homes there.

A dozen officers put on evidence collection suits to sweep the park for clues as other officers canvassed the neighborhood.

"Horrible. Horrible," said one person in the area. "My son-in-law knew her. My daughter knew her."

Vetrano was 30 and a graduate of St. John's University. She kept a blog, describing herself as a writer, adding, "Most of the time I am thinking of ways in how I can be better, do better, feel better - whatever 'better' really is. I spend the majority of my life in deep thought about everything. I think about how we all know we're going to die, and yet that doesn’t seem to matter to any of us right now..."

Police say there is no recent history of attacks on strangers in this area, something that is little comfort to residents.