Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez dies after stabbing on New York bike path; suspect still sought

NEW YORK -- The woman stabbed in the neck while jogging Friday night in Brooklyn has died, her family said.

Katie Suarez's family said the 28-year-old died Monday night, three days after she was stabbed on a Brooklyn bike path.

Suarez, an avid runner, had been hospitalized on life support at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn since the stabbing.

She was attacked while jogging along the waterfront path near Bay 17th Street, according to police and information released by investigators.

Police released a photo of Suarez on Sunday in hopes that someone who saw her Friday night will come forward with information about the attack. Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen Suarez between about 7:56 p.m. and 8:12 p.m. on the bike path along the Belt Parkway between Bay 8th Street and Bay 17th Street to contact detectives.

Authorities say Suarez left her job at TD Bank at the Caesar's Bay Shopping Center around 6:30 p.m., changed into running clothes and began running west along the Shore Parkway Greenway.

She called her father around 8 p.m. and told him she was about half a mile away from a family gathering. When she did not arrive and failed to answer subsequent calls, her father went looking for her and found her with stab wounds to the neck on the bike path.

Investigators are continuing an extensive search for the attacker, using K-9 units, scuba teams and drones. Police said they are still trying to determine exactly what happened and establish a complete timeline of events.

Authorities said Suarez's cellphone and jewelry were still with her, leading investigators to believe the attack was not a robbery.

The assault is believed to have been random and unprovoked.

Police have also said they have been unable to recover surveillance video from the remote area where the attack occurred.

"We believe it to be some sort of random attack at this time," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told ABC News. "She was a very private person. For someone to know that she was going to be there at that exact time would be extraordinary for us to find out."

Kenny described a savage attack, with a long blood trail from where the stabbing occurred to where she staggered and dropped to the ground, about 150 feet. A puncture wound went through the left side of her neck, hit an artery, and penetrated her oral cavity.

Kenny said they are still searching for a "cutting instrument."

There are no cameras in the area and a canvass of the neighborhood has so far turned up no video.

A license plate reader captured about 1,700 cars passing the area at the time of the attack. Detectives are hoping to isolate drivers with dash cameras that may have caught something. They're also hoping a $10,000 reward will shake loose some information.

"We're looking for any interaction that she may have had alongside the pathway. There's always fishermen out there. We're interviewing them," Kenny said.

Suarez has participated in city races before, including those organized by New York Road Runners. She was not registered to compete in the marathon on Sunday.

Anyone with video recordings of the surrounding area between 7-9 p.m. or anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).