Hudson County Sheriff's officers discovered the body around 7:30 a.m. Sunday in Lincoln Park in Jersey City after receiving a report. At that time, police did not suspect foul play.
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The victim was identified as 45-year-old Carolina Cano. Her roommate said she went out for a jog that morning and never returned.
The Peruvian native lived just a few blocks away from the park. Her roommate said she went for a jog every morning before heading to work as a nanny.
"They realized something was wrong when she didn't show up to the church," neighbor Frankie Ramos said. "She never missed a day."
Cano's body was retrieved from the water, near a now-closed restaurant in the park.
"My wife, she call the hospital," Ramos said. "Everybody was looking for her, you know. Desperately."
The circumstances of her death are not yet known, and no arrests have been made.
Authorities say surveillance camera footage recovered by investigators shows Cano entering the park alone between 5:45 a.m. and 5:50 a.m. Sunday. The video shows her crossing the park, not in the direction of her church, before walking into a dark area of open field. She disappears from view into the shadows and never reemerges on any surveillance cameras.
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The investigation is ongoing.
City Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey said there will be increased patrols by police in the evening and overnight inside and around Lincoln Park.
A vigil is also planned for Friday evening at the lake.
"Her murder is shocking and heartbreaking," organizers wrote. "Many of us in the neighborhood would like to gather to stand in solidarity, to demonstrate that we will not let fear rob our neighborhood of this place of joy."
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at HudsonCountyProsecutorsOfficeNJ.org/homicide-tip. All information will be kept confidential.
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