DNA breakthrough leads to arrest of man 'in his twenties' in murder of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano - six months after she was found raped and strangled

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Police sources said Saturday that investigators were interrogating a man in the killing of Karina Vetrano (pictured)

Detectives are interrogating a man in the killing of slain Queens jogger Karina Vetrano, a report said Saturday.

Police sources told the New York Daily News the suspect was 20-year-old Chanel Lewis from East New York. 

It comes six months after 30-year-old Vetrano was beaten, raped and strangled.

Vetrano's father found her body in Spring Creek Park near her home in Howard Beach, New York, at 9 pm on August 2.

Investigators have recovered DNA from Vetrano's remains, but the sample didn't match any convicted criminal in New York or around the country.

Police had been eyeing the suspect, a man in his twenties from East New York, Brooklyn, after an off-duty officer saw him acting suspiciously in Howard Beach, sources told the New York Post.

Officers stopped the suspect then, but found no valid reason to take him into custody. They approached him again earlier this week and asked for a DNA sample, which he agreed to give, the newspaper reported.

The suspect had no criminal history, meaning his DNA profile wasn't part of law enforcement databases. He was being held and questioned Saturday night outside of Howard Beach.

Vetrano's father Phil confirmed to Pix11 that the NYPD had told him they had a suspect in custody.

Another report by CBS New York said he had been taken into custody around 6 pm on Saturday.

No charges have been filed so far. 

Vetrano's family has advocated for familial DNA testing, which would allow them to potentially find a suspect's relative. Police didn't have to use the technique after all, since the suspect agreed to give a DNA simple.

'My baby girl Karina went into these weeds right here and never came out,' Phil said during a news conference Thursday.

'The scum that murdered Karina is still at-large,' he added according to NY1.

The father of the murdered Queens jogger previously said he had a 'bad feeling' just 25 minutes after his daughter left home for her run.

Phil was meant to go running with his daughter but couldn't because of a back injury.

Investigators have recovered DNA from Vetrano's remains, but the sample didn't match that of any convicted criminal in New York or around the country

He warned her not to run in the park alone but couldn't stop her from leaving. 

Within 25 minutes of her departure, he knew instinctively something was wrong and phoned police. 

His daughter was last seen on surveillance footage at around 5:45 pm. Phil found her body in marshland at the park just over three hours later.

'She asked me to go for a run and I said I couldn't go. 

'And about 25 minutes later I got a bad feeling. I knew something was wrong. Like something was wrong,' Phil told Dr Oz in an appearance that will be aired on Tuesday evening. 

Vetrano was still alive when her father phoned a police chief he knew personally to raise his concerns.

The jogger's body was found in Spring Creek Park near her home in Howard Beach, New York, at 9 pm on August 2. The crime scene is pictured at the time

Phil Vetrano, Vetrano's father (pictured with her), said he knew something was 'wrong' instinctively just 25 minutes after his daughter left their home to go running on August 2

She was captured on a surveillance camera at 5:46 pm. Police said it is likely those were some of her final moments alive.

Phil found his daughter's lifeless body after a frantic search with detectives that evening.

They were led to it by her phone which lay discarded on the ground nearby. 

Forensic investigators found traces of DNA in beneath Vetrano's fingernails, on her neck and on her phone.

They believe it likely belongs to her killer but have not been able to find a match on convicted criminal databases. 

Familial testing compares the crime scene DNA with others on file that are a close enough match to be family. 

It has led to the arrests and convictions of other dangerous criminals but is not common practice in New York.

Vetrano's death was just five days before that of a jogger in Princeton, Massachusetts, who was taken while running near her mother's home.

Vanessa Marcotte, 27, was found dead in bushes having been sexually assaulted, strangled and set on fire. 

DNA at the scene was found but could not be matched to anyone already in police databases.  

Vetrano was seen on surveillance footage jogging towards the park at 5.46pm, moments before her death

Her father offered a large reward to anyone with information about his daughter's death

Vetrano's family and friends are campaigning for information about her death. Above, mourners at the young woman's funeral

DNA at the scene was found but could not be matched to anyone already in police databases