Authorities in Pennsylvania are trying to find the person responsible for the death of a married mother of two who was found slain in a popular Philadelphia park Tuesday morning.
Captain James Clark, with the Philadelphia Police Department, announced Wednesday that preliminary autopsy results from the medical examiner's office indicate that Constance "Connie" Murray, 46, of Northeast Philadelphia, died as a result of asphyxiation due to strangulation.
"[The medical examiner] did not see much of a sign of struggle," Clark told reporters Wednesday. "There was some minor bruising on her, but not even enough to say it was blunt force trauma."
Clark added, "Right now, preliminarily, there was no sign of sexual assault."
According to a spokeswoman with the Philadelphia Police Department, a woman walking her dog at Pennypack Park in the northeast part of the city discovered Murray's body in some shallow brush near the park’s recreation center early Tuesday morning.
"They located her out at that location at 6:12 a.m.," the spokeswoman told The Huffington Post. "She was pronounced [dead] at 6:22 a.m."
Murray, a stay-at-home mother of two girls, was last seen at about 9 p.m. Monday night. Police said her family told them she left their home in the city's Holme Circle neighborhood for a routine jog around Pennypack Park, which is located a short distance from her home.
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Connie Murray
When Murray failed to return home, her family conducted a search of the area surrounding their home, but were unable to locate her. Murray was reported missing to police at about 12 a.m. Tuesday.
Police said Murray was carrying headphones and a cell phone with her when she left her home, but those items were not recovered with her body.
According to Clark, authorities have no suspects or persons of interest in Murray's slaying.
"Right now there is no motive," he said. "We have no idea."
Clark said investigators do not yet have reason to believe Murray's homicide is connected to the "Pennypack Park Rapist" -- a man who has attacked three women since 2010.
He also said there does not appear to be an immediate link to the "Fairmout Park Rapist," a man who is believed responsible for three nearby sexual assaults on joggers between 2003 and 2007, including the rape and murder of a Philadelphia medical student. Police have not caught either of these two men.
"Any DNA that we get, we'll uploaded into the system and see if we get any matches that way," Clark said.
Clark also warned female joggers to take necessary cautions until the killer is caught.
"Obviously there is a killer in that area [and] we are going to do everything we can to find him and bring him to justice," said Clark. "Females that are out there walking or jogging for the time being should be in the company of someone else."
Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-8477. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the death.
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