Gilgo Beach serial killings
Long Island serial killer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Unknown identity |
| Other names | Craiglist serial killer[1] |
| Details | |
| Victims | 8 suspected |
Span of crimes | 2007–ongoing |
| Country |  United States |
| State(s) | Suffolk County, New York |
Date apprehended | Unapprehended |
The Long Island serial killer is an unidentified suspected serial killer who is believed to have murdered as many as 8 people since 2007 and dumped their bodies along the Ocean Parkway, near the remote beach towns of Gilgo Beach and Oak Beach in Suffolk County, New York. Four of the victims were found in December 2010, while four more were found in March and April 2011.[2][3]
Police were initially searching for Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old prostitute from New Jersey who was reported missing in May 2010. She was last seen in the area after meeting a client in nearby Oak Beach. In December 2010, a police officer discovered one body, which eventually led to three more bodies being found in the same area on the north side of the Ocean parkway. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said "Four bodies found in the same location pretty much speaks for itself. It's more than a coincidence. We could have a serial killer."[4] A few months later, in late March and early April 2011, four more bodies were discovered in another area off the parkway. Suffolk Police have expanded the search area up to the Nassau County border to see if there are additional victims.[5]
On April 6, 2011, Detective Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department said that his office will "further explore and investigate any criminal activity which may be in close proximity to the recently discovered human remains found in Suffolk." Smith also said that Nassau Police will be coordinating with Suffolk County and New York State Police on the investigation.[6]
Suspected victims
Of the eight suspected victims found, four have been identified as missing prostitutes. The four remaining bodies have not yet been identified. Police are still searching for Shannan Gilbert after it was ruled that she was not one of the unidentified remains.[7]
Identified
- Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25 of Norwich, Connecticut. She was last seen on July 9, 2007 and her body was found in December 2010.[8]
- Melissa Barthelemy, 24 of Erie County, New York, who went missing on July 12, 2009.
- Megan Waterman, 22, of Scarborough, Maine. She went missing on June 6, 2010 after placing advertisements on Craigslist as an escort and had told her 20-year-old boyfriend on June 5 that she was going out and would call him later. Her body was also recovered in December 2010.[9]
- Amber Lynn Costello, 27 of North Babylon, New York. She was also a prostitute and had gone missing in September 2010.[9]
References
- ^ "Craiglist serial killer? Cops ID 3 more missing prostitutes found dumped along Long Island beach". New York Daily News. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "8 Sets Of Remains Now Found On Beach". WNYW. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "3 More Sets of Human Remains Found on New York Beach". Fox News. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ http://abcnews.go.com/US/long-island-serial-killer-discovery-bodies-beach-raises/story?id=13294531
- ^ http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/long_island&id=8053594
- ^ http://www.newsday.com/news/breaking/gilgo-search-to-extend-into-nassau-1.2803585
- ^ Goldman, Russell (April 5, 2011). "Shannan Gilbert Not Among the 8 Bodies Linked to Long Island Beach Serial Killer". ABC News. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Three more human remains found on Long Island". WABC-TV. April 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b "Police find more victims of suspected Long Island serial killer". BNO News. April 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-07.