JERSEY CITY — The woman found dead in the lake in Lincoln Park is believed to have been jogging in the park Sunday morning when she was apparently strangled, a law enforcement source said Thursday.

The death of Carolina Cano, 45, of nearby Gautier Avenue in Jersey City, has been ruled a homicide by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, based on the preliminary investigation.

Cano was recovered from the water at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning and pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m. Park workers said Thursday that divers and at least one police dog had returned to the park Wednesday, apparently searching for evidence.

The law enforcement source said that it appeared that Cano’s body was not in the water for long, and that her neck showed signs of strangulation.

A man living in the building where Cano lived off West Side Avenue said Thursday that she emigrated from Peru and had lived at the location for about two years. He said Cano, who worked as a nanny, never caused a stir in the apartment building.

A neighbor said people from Cano’s church came to the residence to check on her because she missed the Sunday service.

“She was a working woman, a good woman,” her roommate said in an interview with NBC New York. “She didn’t bother anyone. She was a woman that was always with God, that’s how she lived. She was really a beautiful woman. She had a very beautiful heart.”

Freeholder Bill O’Dea and Jersey City Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, who represent the West Side, plan to host a meeting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Gallo Center to discuss the homicide and talk about security measures at the park.

Sharon Guarini, who lives two doors from Cano’s building, said she was not surprised to hear a resident of the neighborhood had been killed.

“It’s city life,” said Guarini. “You can’t control city life. You have to be aware of your surroundings and what’s going on around you.”

She said the neighborhood is getting better, "but there is still drug dealing going on.”

Guarini said she did not know Cano, but had probably seen her in the neighborhood and said hello when they crossed paths.

Robert Patterson has lived his entire 65 years in the neighborhood where Cano lived and he was shocked to hear she was killed.

“Holy Christ. Holy Christ,” said Patterson when told of Cano’s death Thursday. He too said the neighborhood has been good for a while, but added, “The troubles are coming back.” He did not know Cano, either.

Lincoln Park is bordered by Harrison Avenue, Kennedy Boulevard and Duncan Avenue and it extends westward to the Hackensack River. Cano’s home is two blocks from the park.

John Williams, a student at Snyder High School, said while walking through the park Thursday that he does not feel completely safe when in Lincoln Park.

“I don’t trust people around me,” Williams said. “This is New Jersey.”

On the other hand, Leticia Dominguez and her husband Fernando said Thursday that they feel safe in the park as they took a stroll near the lake Cano was dragged out of.

“I don’t worry about the people here,” Leticia Dominguez said. “I’ve never seen anything weird.”

Cano’s death is being investigated by the prosecutor’s Homicide Unit with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the prosecutor’s office at (201) 915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential.