Social media trolls have been slammed for suggesting a murdered jogger brought it on herself by going running in tight clothing.

Karina Vetrano was sexually assaulted and strangled to death in Howard Beach in Queens, New York, on Tuesday - less than a mile from her home, police said.

Her father was with police when they made the horrifying discovery of her body in a an area with high weeds after reporting her missing when she didn't return from her 5pm run.

The 30-year-old keen runner, who was a speech therapist and aspiring writer, had been strangled and her pants had been pulled down to her knees, the NYPD said. She had been beaten and her teeth smashed in.

Her horrific death led to a fierce debate on social media, including people to began blaming the victim for her choice of attire.

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Social media trolls have been slammed online for suggesting a murdered jogger brought it on herself by going running in tight clothing

Trolls on social media suggested Vetrano was to blame for going out jogging in tight clothing

Michael Pulaski wrote on Facebook: 'We are reminded everyday we live with savages, however you go jogging alone, with ear phones on, looking like that. I ask you where is common sense these days.'

'Sexual assault will always be here,' wrote Carlos Avarado on Facebook, The Sun reports. 'It is your responsibility to be aware... stop jogging or going to the dam [sic] gym half naked.'

His comment was slammed by others, including one user who said: 'So what you're saying is men are SO dumb they're unable to control themselves? Stop victim blaming!'

Another user, Sharjil Za commented: 'I always see attractive women running with their headphones on in secluded areas! How stupid can they be?'

Vetrano competed in the Spartan Race recently at the home of the New York Mets, Citifield

Her shocking death led to a fierce debate on social media, including people to began blaming the victim for her choice of attire

Mary Carter added: 'This is horrible. Why would a woman go running alone in the evening?'

The victim's father, retired firefighter Philip Vetrano, 'asked her not to run this path, not without him,' NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said at a briefing near the scene of the crime.

'If you're a runner you understand that you run every night as part of your routine, so she went, and said she'd be all right.'

The pair would have been running together, but a back injury meant her father had to stay at home.

Karina Vetrano was murdered near her home in Howard Beach, Queens, after she went out for a run on her own. Police say she was strangled and sexually assaulted

NYPD patrol cars are seen surrounding the marsh where the 30-year-old's body was found on Tuesday night. Her father reported her missing after she didn't return home

This map shows her body was found only a mile away from her home

She didn't return on time from her workout at Spring Creek Park and didn't answer her father's phone calls, so he contacted a police commander neighbor, who called 911.

After police used cellphone signals to narrow the search area, her father - who was working on 9/11 - spotted her body face down in the tall grass and brush along an unpaved emergency access road about 15 feet off the running trail, police said.

Vetrano was last heard from by a friend with whom she texted, police said. There was also security video of her running along the edge of the park at about 5.45pm.

Police were examining other video to try to identify a suspect, Boyce said.

'There's a lot of forensic evidence as well as digital evidence in the area,' he said.

The running trail Vetrano used is connected to a much longer network of paths ringing Jamaica Bay that's popular with cyclists and runners.

Mr Vetrano returned to the scene on Wednesday morning to speak to detectives just hours after he found his daughter dead

Her father Phil, a retired FDNY firefighter who was working during 9/11, was with police when he made the devastating discovery

Karina Vetrano, pictured, shared photographs of herself on vacation

However, people often bypass the section where her body was found because it's more overgrown and desolate.

Police officers found her cellphone near a bicycle path and then found her body closer to the shoreline.

Those living nearby told reporters that 'hobos and bums' often congregate in the bushes just off the bike path.

One said there are 'shanty houses' nearby.

Boyce described the heartbreaking events that led to her body being discovered.

After Mr Vetrano called the police, Boyce said, he led officers down the track where she could have been heading towards the beach.

He then spotted her phone and started running. Moments later he found her lifeless remains face down in the tall grass.

There was also evidence she was sexually assaulted, but Boyce would not elaborate on the details.

However, a used condom was found near the scene of the crime, the New York Post reports.

Police are believed to have questioned two homeless people who live in the area but are yet to make any arrests.

'Right now we're investigating anybody who uses this park,' Boyce said on Wednesday morning.

The NYPD's chief spokesman, Stephen Davis, said it appeared Vetrano had been sexually assaulted.

'The [medical examiner] needs to confirm that, but there were marks on the body that were consistent with sexual assault,' he said.

The medical examiner has not given an official cause of death, but police sources have said her body had asphyxiation marks.

A neighbor, who only described himself as John to the New York Daily News, said her father had warned of the dangers of running near the weeds.

He added that the pair would work out frequently.

'She used to go jogging with her father,' he told the paper. 'If the weeds were not that tall, we would have seen the girl jogging on the path... You can grab that girl, and we wouldn't know it.'

A metal gate covers the entrance to the path where Vetrano's body was found

NYPD detectives have said Vetrano was texting a friend when she was attacked

Vetrano described herself as a 'thrill seeker' and a 'day dreamer' on her Instagram page.

She went to the Catholic Archbishop Molloy High School. On Wednesday, school staff wrote on their Facebook page: 'We ask our Stanner family to pray for Karina Vetrano, Class of 2004, of Howard Beach, who suddenly and tragically passed away last night.

'She is the daughter of retired firefighter Phil Vetrano, Class of 1974. Please keep Karina and her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers at this very difficult moment.'

Two weeks ago she was walking around Nice just hours before the deadly terrorist attacks

Miss Vetrano and her father Phil were close. Last year they took part in the Tunnel To Towers run in New York together (left)

They have shared a close bond since her childhood, and refers to her father as her best friend

She earned a master's degree from St. John's University in 2015, and worked as a caterer at the Vetro Lounge in Howard Beach, her neighbors told the Daily News.

Away from her work, she had a passion for writing. One of her pieces, The Paradox, was made into a short film in 2013.

She had a blog made up of pieces of her work,Karina Vee.

In one post, she wrote: 'I think the most painful truth of existence is that nothing lasts forever.'

She also wrote: The majority of my life is on paper. I write to savor the moments that I'm terrified will get lost and forgotten in time if I don't document them.'

She hadn't uploaded any new stories or posts since 2014.

A huge number of pictures on social media showed her partying with friends or in workout gear.

They include snaps of her enjoying lavish events in St Tropez and New York.

A picture on her father's Facebook page shows him in FDNY uniform, standing in at Ground Zero during the clean-up operation.

However she had recently been very close to another huge tragedy.

She shared a snap of her sitting next to a fountain in Nice on July 13 - a day before a truck ran down almost 400 people - killing 85.

Alongside the image, she wrote: 'I'm at a loss for words... This picture was taken less than 24 hours ago in Nice.

'We walked around the city for hours admiring how beautiful it was, & only a few hours ago I was still there.

'I can't believe this world, but I'm so grateful to be home. Thank you to everyone who has messaged to check in on me .'

After news of her death surfaced, tributes poured in for the fitness fanatic.

Nightclub promoter Jewels Ferrante tweeted: 'RIP KARINA. I am heart broken, mortified. You were amazing and full of life.'

In a recent photo, taken on her father's 60th birthday, Vetrano called him her 'hero' and wrote: 'I'm so blessed to have a father I can call my best friend.'

Vetrano (left) is seen celebrating the masters degree she earned from St. John's University in 2015 outside her father's home. A picture from her father's Facebook shows him at Ground Zero showing the clean-up operation after 9/11

Vetrano described herself as a 'thrill seeker' and a 'day dreamer' on her Instagram page

She worked part time as a waitress, but spent her time away from work writing and running

Mike Paladino wrote: 'I can't believe this.. I am sick to my stomach. My friend after 20 years! Karina i will miss u sooo much. My heart is broken.. My deepest condolences to the Vetrano family, what a shame to happen to such great people.'

Marc Gagliano added: 'I don't know you that well... it's killing me that some psycho did this to you. Makes zero sense how someone could do this to such a beautiful person. My heart bleeds for you. Sending my prayers to you and your family. Disgusted beyond belief.'

Singer and former American Idol contestant Pia Toscano , who lives in Howard Beach, wrote on Instagram: 'Rest Peacefully Karina. My thoughts & Prayers are with the Vetrano family during this difficult time.'

New York State Senator Joe Addabbo wrote on Facebook: 'My prayers are with the Vetrano family today, upon learning of the tragic news of Karina Vetrano in Howard Beach.'

Another person on Twitter wrote: 'RIP Karina Vetrano, I can't fathom that the people who hurt you exist in this world. This is why I walk my girl everywhere. I'm sorry.'

Vetrano's family have not commented on her horrifying death.

But friends have told reporters it has 'destroyed' them.

Howard Beach, a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood, made headlines 30 years ago when a group of white teenagers hurled racial epithets and attacked three black men whose car broke down as they drove from Brooklyn to Queens.

One of them, Michael Griffith, 23, was chased onto the Belt Parkway where he was hit and killed by a car. Three of the men were jailed in 1987 after a high-profile trial.