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Unsolved Mysteries: The Long Island Serial Killer

Shannan Gilbert

Shannan Gilbert

The mysterious disappearance of Shannan Gilbert prompted the search that discovered 11 bodies and the possibility of a serial killer.

May 1, 2010- 2:20 a.m.

  • After finishing an appointment in Manhattan, Shannan called her driver, Micheal, to take her home.
  • Instead of going home, she received a call from a man named Joe. He offered her $250/hour for her services.
  • Even though she had just finished a job, this was a lot of money and was hard to pass up.

Sometime around 2 a.m.

  • Shannan arrived in Oak Beach around 2 a.m.
  • When she got to Joe's house, they ran an errand.
  • "They were gone about 15 minutes, and then they go back inside the house. It's assumed they were buying drugs." (Flowers)
  • According to Joe, they never had sexual relations because he questioned if she was really a woman. (Brittain)

4:51 a.m.

  • Shannan called the police at 4:51 a.m., the call lasted 23 minutes.
  • On the call she repetitively screamed "They are going to kill me"
  • At this point, Joe wanted her out of his house and asked Micheal to get her out. He went upstairs.
  • After being at a standstill with Micheal for a few minutes, Shannan ran out of the house and past Micheal's car.

Sometime around 5:14-5:22 a.m.

  • Shannan runs to Joe's neighbor's house. His name is Gus
  • Gus was up shaving when Shannan banged on his door.
  • Gus' story has not stayed consistent. Sometimes he says that he invited Shannan in, other times he says that she never came in.
  • Gus told Shannan that he was going to call the police and she ran.
  • Micheal drove by looking for her, and when she saw him, she hid under the boat in Gus' driveway.
  • Eventually Shannan got out from under the boat and started running. Instead of exiting the neighborhood, she ran deeper in and tried getting another neighbor's help.
  • This is the last time anyone saw Shannan alive.

The Search for Shannan Gilbert

The Search for Shannan

There was barely any investigation into Shannan's disappearance. It might have been because of confusion in jurisdiction (the case was bounced back and forth between New Jersey, where she was from, and Long Island, where she went missing), or it could be a result of discrimination against her, due to her profession. (Flowers)

Blue

It was fall, and only one detective had searched for Shannan. His name was John Mallia (Killoran). He brought his German Shepherd, named Blue, to the area to see if he could pick up a scent. Mallia admits that he didn't think that he was going to find anything. There was a very low chance of there being any scent to pick up, and even if there was, too much time had passed for Blue to be able to pick it up. This was largely just a training exercise. They continued to search into December. On December 10th, Blue picked up on a scent and lead Mallia to decomposing skeletal remains. These remains were not Shannan. (Flowers)

Serial Killer?

Serial Killer

A few days later, police found more remains. This discovery lead police to announce, on January 25, 2011, that they are searching for a serial killer. They kept searching, but soon the weather became to bad. So, they turned to the people present when Shannan disappeared. While some of these people seem suspicious, all were cleared by police. Police then turned to the other victims, trying to link them to a singular person. Police were unable to link the victims. This is because they couldn't trace someone using phone records, nor could they use Craigslist, where the victims (who were mostly prostitutes) listed their services. Whoever did this knew enough about technology to be able to hide his IP address, protecting his identity. The police do have one clue. Whoever is responsible for this made multiple calls to one of the victims' sister. On the calls he described how he killed her sister, and how he would kill her next. Police tried to trace these calls, but they were made from the victim's phone in crowded areas, such as Madison Square Garden. (Flowers)

Dr. Peter Hackett

Dr. Peter Hacket

One of the people who the police cleared is actually pretty suspicious. His name is Dr. Peter Hackett. 2 days after Shannan went missing he called Shannan's mother, Mari, claiming to have known her. He asked Shannan's mother if she was there or if she was still missing. At the time, Shannan's mother didn't even know that Shannan was missing. He claimed to have a home for wayward girls, and that Shannan had stayed there the night before she went missing. He said he had taken her in off the street and gave her some sort of medicine to calm her down, and then she left with her driver and never returned. Mari asked him how he had gotten her phone number. He said that Shannan left it as her emergency contact. This is what made Mari suspicious of him. She knew Shannan would never give Dr. Hacket her phone number. That day, Shannan was reported missing and her family found out that she was on Oak Beach, where Dr. Hackett called from. He did not have a wayward home for girls; he was actually the neighbor of the last house that called 911. On May 9, Mari and her family were in Dr. Hackett's neighborhood to put up missing persons fliers. Dr. Hackett said that was the first time he had met Mari, and swore he didn't call her. He swore that Mari had made it all up. She didn't. There are phone records proving that Dr. Hackett made a call to Mari. There aren't really answers to the questions that these events prompt, but Dr. Hackett is a serial exaggerator. He makes up stories to pretend to he was involved in events. (Flowers)

The Victims

The Victims

For the most part, the victims of the Long Island Serial killer were petite female sex workers. Authorities believe that this is because they are easy targets. The only two exceptions were a toddler and an asian man, who authorities theorize was a cross dresser.

(Flowers)

The Gilgo beach four

The Gilgo Beach four

These four women were found in Gilgo Beach on December 11 and 13, 2010. They were all found wrapped in burlap sacks, completely intact. They were spaced evenly apart. Authorities believe this is because the killer wanted to showcase them.

Melissa Barthelemy

Melissa Barthelemy

This is the victim whose sister was called by the killer from her phone.

(ABC news)

Maureen Brainard-Barnes

Maureen Brainard-Barnes

(ABC news)

Amber Lynn Costello

Amber Lynn Costello

(ABC news)

Megan Waterman

Megan Waterman

(ABC news)

Dismembered Women

Dismembered Women

(Newsday)

Both women's torsos were found in Manorville, and their heads, hands, and additional body parts were found on Gilgo beach in spring 2011. One set of remains, found on March 29, 2011 was Identified as Jessica Taylor, whose torso was found in 2003. The other, found on April 4, 2011, whose torso was found in 2000, is still unidentified. Jessica was working as a prostitute at the time of her death, and police suspect that the unidentified woman was also a prostitute. (Newsday)

Unidentified Bodies

Unidentifyed Bodies

(Newsday)

There are two bodies that are unidentified, and unidentified female bones. One of the unidentified bodies, found on April 4, 2011 was an asian man who was found in women's clothes. Another body, found on the same day, was the head of a woman whose legs washed up on Fire Island in 1996. The severed legs were in a plastic bag. This is consistent with the unidentified female bones, which were also found in a plastic bag on April 11. (Newsday)

Mother and Child

Mother & Child

On April 4, 2011 an unidentified female toddler was found. She was around 16-32 months old and was the blood relative of a woman found 7 miles away near Jones Beach. The woman was a DNA match for a torso found in 1997 in Hempstead Lake State Park. She was nicknamed "Peaches" after a tattoo of peaches on her left breast (Bolger). Police suspect that they were mother and child. Police did not release any sketches, but did release picture of the jewelry that the toddler and adult were wearing.

(Newsday)

Shannan Gilbert

Sadly, Shannan Gilbert's body was found on December 13, 2011, a year after the Gilgo four were discovered. She was found in a swamp a half mile from where she was last seen. "Investigators said they believed Gilbert drowned or succumbed to the elements and determined the case closed. A medical examiner's autopsy proved inconclusive." The family had another autopsy done, where forensic pathologist Micheal Bade found signs of violence, consistant with homicidal strangulation. Her jeans and other personal belongings were also found, separate from her body. (NBC New York)

Atlantic City Killings

Police have linked the killings of four women in Atlantic City, New Jersey to the those of the Long Island Serial Killer. They haven't said how or why. The women were Molly Dilts, 20, Kim Raffo, 35, Barbara Breidor, 42, and Tracy Ann Roberts, 23. All of them were prostitutes.

Clockwise from upper left, Kim Raffo, Barbara Breidor, Molly Dilts and Tracy Ann Roberts

(NJ.com)

Theories

The police don't have any official suspects. They cleared all of the people present when Shannan disappeared, and all of the bodies were to old to have any evidence as to who the killer is. The only link the Police have to the Killer are the phone calls made to Melissa Barthelemy's sister. It isn't much of a link, as the killer stopped calling after the media caught wind of what he was doing. Police aren't even sure about the amount of killers. Some people think that there could have been two-four different killers due to the different styles of body disposal.

Theories

Profile

Who Might the Killer be?

  • "It has been suggested that the serial killer is most likely a white male in his mid-20s to mid-40s who is very familiar with the South Shore of Long Island and who has access to burlap sacks which he uses to contain the bodies. He may have a detailed knowledge of law enforcement techniques and perhaps even ties to law enforcement which have thus far helped him avoid detection." (Fredrik)

My Theories

  • Who ever this is, they are experienced with technology and know what authorities use to track down killers.
  • This person is probably a middle aged white man.
  • I think that this person could potentially be a cop or someone who works for the protected land some of the bodies were found on
  • They might not currently be a cop, maybe an ex-cop or someone who worked closely with cops.
  • This person might have been killing prostitutes for a specific reason.
  • Maybe he believed they deserved to be punished for their profession.
  • Maybe he was smart enough to realize that few people would prioritize the search for a missing prostitute.

People

While the police haven't released any official suspects, there are some people who are suspicious: Former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke and Dr. Peter Hackett. Both of these men fit the profile. Both are middle aged white men who were previously involved in law enforcement.

People

James Burke

Former Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke

  • "Christopher Loeb was arrested by the Suffolk County Police Department on December 14th, 2012. He had stolen a duffel bag from an unlocked black SUV and inside he had discovered things you would expect a police officer to own… an officer’s gun belt and handcuffs for example. But that wasn’t all that was in the duffel bag. The New York Times reported on November 3rd, 2016 the duffel bag also contained pornography and sex toys. It was Mr. Loeb’s bad luck that the SUV and duffel bag belonged to James Burke, the Chief of Police in Suffolk County" (Larson)
  • When he was arrested he was beat up on his mother's front lawn. Once at the station he was chained to the floor, beat, and tortured by Burke and several accomplices.
  • Burke tried to cover this up, and it ended up being what got him caught.
  • Burke was charged and plead guilty to beating Loeb. He was sentenced 46 months. He was released in April 2019.
  • Why would Burke beat Loeb and then try and cover up the beating if it was only about Loeb finding pornography and other items of the sort? One explanation is that he had more to hide.
  • Former District Attorney Thomas Spota resigned when he was indicted on federal charges of obstruction in the investigation of Burke
  • During Spota's trial, a witness testified that Burke had a thing for prostitutes dating back to the 1990s.
  • Him being the killer also explains why he refused the help of the FBI with the case. It also explains why the Wikipedia page was edited to say that corrections officer Joe Foti was the killer by a Suffolk county Police computer.

Dr. Peter Hackett

Dr. Hackett is extremely suspicious, as mentioned earlier.

  • To recap: he called Shannan's mother, two days after Shannan went missing, claimed to have taken in Shannan for the night, and when Shannan's mother, Mari, came to the neighborhood Shannan disappeared in and met Dr. Hackett in person, he claimed he had never met either of them.
  • There was no way for him to have known Shannan was missing or for him to have gotten Mari's phone number because this call took place before she was officially declared missing.
  • It was later proved through phone records he had made the phone call to Mary on his wife's phone.
  • Whats even weirder is that he didn't make the call from oak beach, he made it from somewhere nearby Mari's home. (unresloved)
  • He is known as a serial exaggerator.
  • He was a former police surgeon, and was the one who proposed the idea that Shannan drowned (Tanner)
  • When Police showed Mari where they found Shannan's body they brought her to Dr. Hackett's house and showed her from his back porch. (Flowers)
  • Even if he isn't the killer, Dr. Hackett knows more than he is telling police.

  • Van Sant, Will. Lopez, Tania. Chayes, Matthew. Valenti, John. "Police reval new details on Gilgo Victims." Newsday, September 20, 2011, https://www.newsday.com/news/police-reveal-new-details-on-gilgo-victims-1.3185257.
  • Newsday. "Faces of the Gilgo victims" Newsday, December 10, 2014, https://www.newsday.com/long-island/gilgo-beach-serial-killings-faces-of-the-victims-1.2865774
  • https://abcnews.go.com/Health/photos/long-island-famous-serial-killers-8998525/image-14565018.
  • CBS News. "The Long Island Serial Killer" CBS News, Jun 23, 2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-long-island-serial-killer-5/.
  • Fredrik. "The Long Island Serial Killer." Crime Scene Database, July 7, 2016, http://crimescenedb.com/the-long-island-serial-killer/
  • NBC New York. "5 Years After Shannan Gilbert's Remains Found, Investigation Appears Stalled." NBC New York, December 13, 2016, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/shannan-gilbert-body-found-oak-beach-long-island-gilgo-suffolk-county-fbi-investigation-serial-killer/881999/
  • Rojas, Rick. "Prostitute Found in Long Island Marsh in 2011 May Have Been Murdered, Pathologist Says." New York Times, Febuary 12, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/nyregion/prostitute-found-in-long-island-marsh-in-2011-may-have-been-murdered-pathologist-says.html?
  • CBS New York. "Cops Confirm New Remains Human; Skull also Along Ocean Parkway." CBS New York, April 11, 2011, https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/04/11/investigators-of-gilgo-beach-victims-expand-search-on-l-i/
  • Killoran, Ellen, "Why Hasn't the Long Island Serial Killer Case Been Solved." Rolling Stone, December 15, 2016, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/why-hasnt-the-long-island-serial-killer-case-been-solved-119604/
  • Bolger, Timothy. "Murder Victim Dubbed 'Peaches' Linked to Gilgo Beach Killings." Long Island Press, December 13, 2016, https://www.longislandpress.com/2016/12/13/unidentified-murder-victim-dubbed-peaches-linked-to-gilgo-beach-killings/
  • Hamilton, Brad. "Sick Cell Call is Strongest Clue in Search for Long Island Serial Killer." New York Post, Arip 10, 2011, https://nypost.com/2011/04/10/sick-cell-call-is-strongest-clue-in-search-for-long-island-serial-killer
  • Muller, Mark. "Getting Away With Murder: the Atlantic City Prostitute Killings 10 Years Later." NJ.com, January 16, 2019, https://www.nj.com/news/2016/11/10_years_later_the_atlantic_city_serial_killer_rem.html
  • "Is the Long Island Serial Killer a Cop?" Tales of True Crime, from KFGO, December 18, 2019, https://kfgo.com/podcasts/tales-of-true-crime/143591/is-the-long-island-serial-killer-a-cop//
  • "The Long Island Serial Killer" Unresolved, from Unresolved,December 18, 2019, https://unresolved.me/the-long-island-serial-killer
  • "L.I.S.K." Serial Killer, from Crime Junkie, April 16, 2018, https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/serial-killer-lisk/

Sources

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