Sarah Fox Case: DNA from 2004 Julliard student murder scene linked to chain used in Occupy Wall Street Protest

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - New evidence has emerged eight years after Julliard student Sarah Fox was found dead in upper Manhattan. A DNA match links crime-scene evidence from the 2004 death to a chain collected from a spring protest believed to be connected to Occupy Wall Street, CBS New York reports.

A database of DNA samples matched DNA on the chain to material on a CD player found near Fox's body, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no authorization was given to discuss the ongoing investigation.

But the DNA hasn't matched to any person, and it remains to be seen what authorities will be able to make of the unexpected find. Investigators acknowledged the evidence could be a coincidence rather than a link to Fox's killer, according to CBS New York.

Fox, 21, vanished after going running in an upper Manhattan park on May 19, 2004. Her body was found six days later in the park, with her clothing gone and her larynx fractured. Police said she was strangled.

One of the few clues of her death was a DNA sample from the CD player she was carrying, which was found about 100 feet away from the body. NYPD detectives linked DNA from the murder scene to DNA found at an apparent Occupy Wall Street protest last March at a Brooklyn subway station, CBS New York reported.

The chain was used to hold open an emergency exit gate during the protest, aiming to draw attention to transit issues by giving passengers free rides and opening exits at various other subway stations. A statement described many of the participants as members of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

It wasn't immediately clear who might have provided or touched the chain. Police said they don't have anyone in their database linked to that match, so the source of the DNA is still unknown.