A Brooklyn jogger who was stabbed in the neck Friday night, later declared brain dead and placed on life support, had spoken to her father by phone minutes before the attack and was planning to meet her parents.
Katie Suarez, 28, had met her mother after leaving her job as a bank teller around 6:30 p.m. near her workplace in Gravesend. This was a usual family ritual, but her father was running late that evening. Suarez changed into her running gear and headed out alone along the Belt Parkway.
Around 8 p.m., her father, who had joined her mother, called Suarez to coordinate their meeting. She told him she was about half a mile away, and the conversation reportedly raised no red flags. When Suarez did not arrive at the agreed-upon spot, her parents became concerned.
Her father found her stabbed twice in the neck near Bay 17th Street and Shore Parkway. He flagged down a passer-by to call 911. Investigators are treating the incident as a random attack, noting that Suarez's phone and jewelry were still with her, suggesting robbery or a sex-crime motive were unlikely.
Suarez was able to run approximately 100 feet after the assault before collapsing. Blood was found splattered on a nearby guardrail at the scene. Suarez had worked at the bank for over five years and frequently jogged on the path, which offers views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Police are actively searching for the assailant. Suarez's family has not commented publicly.