A desperate search is underway in the nation’s capital after a woman was stabbed to death while jogging in a trendy neighborhood just a few miles from the White House.
Wendy Karina Martinez, 35, stumbled into a Chinese restaurant in Washington D.C.’s Logan Circle on Tuesday night, suffering from multiple stab wounds to the neck, police said. Martinez tried to alert customers to her attacker, but the suspect had already fled the scene, witnesses said.
She was transported to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.
“They tried to provide medical assistance to her. Unfortunately, she was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead,” D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said Wednesday. “It is more likely a random act than anything else, but we’re going to look at all possibilities.”
“It’s horrible to see something like this happen in the city,” he added, describing the area as a “very safe neighborhood.”
Martinez was an “avid runner” and worked for a local software company, according to her family. She and her fiancé, Daniel Hincapie, were engaged last week.
“We are deeply saddened by this senseless tragedy. Wendy Karina Martinez was the light of our lives,” her mother, Cora Martinez, wrote in a statement. “Not only was she an avid runner, but she was a devout Christian, a wonderful friend, and a driven professional. Everything you hope that a daughter and a friend could be.”
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FiscalNote, where Wendy Martinez served as chief of staff, tweeted its condolences to her family on Wednesday.
“The entire FiscalNote family is shocked and deeply saddened to learn that Wendy Martinez, our Chief of Staff, was killed last night,” the company wrote. “Wendy was an invaluable member of our team and a vibrant member of the community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Wendy’s family and friends.”
The Metropolitan Police Department released surveillance footage of a suspect that showed a man wearing a long-sleeved mustard-colored shirt, flip flops and white socks.
It is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest.
“We ask that you respect our privacy as we grieve the passing of her beautiful soul and inform her friends and family of this terrible news,” the victim’s mother said in her statement. “We also want to encourage the community to please contact the police with any information that may lead to finding justice for Wendy.”
