Six months after the death of their daughter, the family of Karina Vetrano is calling on the state to allow new DNA testing in an effort to find her killer. NY1's Shannan Ferry reports.
It's been six months since Phil and Cathie Vetrano last saw their daughter, Karina. The 30-year-old was found dead in a marshy area in Howard Beach back in August after leaving for a jog. The case remains unsolved.
"My baby girl Karina went into these weeds right here and never came out," Phil Vetrano said at Howard Beach.
Investigators did find DNA at the crime scene but no matches in the system. Thursday, the Vetranos called on the State Commission on Forensic Science to allow familial DNA testing in their daughter's case.
Familial testing would allow investigators to see if a suspect's relative is in the system, which could provide leads.
"The scum that murdered Karina is still at-large," Phil Vetrano said at the press conference Thursday.
But familial DNA testing is controversial. Critics say the method is an invasion of privacy and unconstitutional.
The New York Civil Liberties Union called it, in part, "a policy that implicates New Yorkers in a criminal investigation solely because they are related to someone with DNA in the state's databank."
"Then they're saying that they're willing for their child to be that person's next victim," Cathie Vetrano said. "There is no excuse."
Meantime, the commission tells NY1 in a statement in part they are "committed to providing cutting-edge tools grounded in proven science to assist law enforcement in obtaining justice for victims, exonerating the innocent, and ensuring that individuals' constitutional rights are protected."
The Vetranos are expected to testify at the commission's public hearing Feb. 10. In the meantime, state lawmakers say there is legislation pending in the Senate on this matter.