Police on Long Island now believe a single serial killer may be responsible for the ten bodies found along a deserted oceanside highway. WNBC-TV's Andrew Siff reports.
By WNBC
Police on Long Island now believe a single serial killer may be responsible for the 10 bodies found along a deserted oceanside highway, shifting their theory away from multiple killers as they previously believed.
Police also don't believe the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert is connected to the killings.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer told NBC New York on Tuesday that police now think a single person is behind the deaths of the human remains found on Gilgo Beach, most of them in the last year.
Most were young women, but one body was a child and another was a man.
"The common denominators that we have now indicate that it's possibly one killer," Dormer said in a phone interview. "We've had the same dumping ground, sex workers, young women -- even though there were the Asian male and the toddler -- but we think they were connected to the sex trade in some way. And these common denominators indicate we have the one person committing these crimes."
Newsday also reported that Dormer doesn't think the death of Gilbert, a sex worker who was seen frantically running from a house in Oak Beach early May 2010, is connected. Her body has not been found.
"We believe that it's just a coincidence that she went missing in Oak Beach and the bodies were found on Gilgo Beach, which is right across Ocean Parkway and farther west," he told Newsday. "The M.O. is completely different, the scenario is completely different."
But Dormer acknowledged the fear there will be new victims. "That's why we are moving as fast as we possibly can to apprehend this person," he told the paper.
In the interview with NBC New York, he added that another initial theory that the killer worked in law enforcement has been "debunked."
"It's not unusual for people to be very familiar with how police conduct investigations, and how criminals try to evade capture," Dormer said. "That came up early in the investigation, but it's not credible at this time."
10 bodies found
Between December 2010 and April of this year, the remains of eight women, a male and a female toddler were found dumped along a stretch of Ocean Parkway. Five of the women were identified and found to have been working prostitutes.
Among the remains still unidentified are the toddler and a woman believed to be her mother, and the man, also believed to be a sex worker.
Initially, police said there could be as many as three killers behind the bodies, all using the brush along the parkway as a dumping ground.
But, Dormer told NBC New York Tuesday, police now believe one killer is behind the dumped bodies, though even "that could change" as the investigation moves forward.
Detectives also believe the killer is from Long Island.
"The person has got to be comfortable with the locations," Dormer said, citing the long distances between Manorville and Gilgo Beach, and from Davis Park to Gilgo Beach. "That's the theory, that it's a Long Islander."
"That's a huge distance, so somebody has to be familiar with the Long Island area and comfortable with that area," Dormer said.
Dormer said the case remains "high priority," and that police are "still actively investigating this."
Another Lifetime moving in the making.....
Hmmm...I guess I'm the only one interested in this story. I wonder what that says about me? I've always thought that this was the work of one killer despite what the police have been saying. Too much of a coincidence finding all the bodies in the same general area. We have our share of serial killers here in the Northwest, and while that doesn't make me an expert or anything, I have followed those cases closely and can say that these guys all share a common psychology. Anyway, I hope that they catch the guy.
SI
but if you lived in the area and had designs on killing someone, wouldn't dumping the body where other bodies have been found be ideal? I mean, then they could pin your murder on the murderer of the others.
I know, I can't believe they thought it was more than 1 person. I think maybe they were just hiding some information, which makes sense in a case like this; you don't want to spotlight a serial killer, that's probably exactly what they want.
I've been interested in these serial killer stories since my LA days, when I had several young, attractive, female friends, all living in the area thought to be prowled by the "Hillside Strangler" (who turned out to be the "Hillside Stranglers"). They were terrified and I couldn't put enough bolts on their doors and windows for them (then again, it did get me a lot of "sleep-overs"...). Needless to say, the fear and concern that situation evoked left an impression on me, so I now follow these kinds of story. AND, like you, it seemed relatively obvious, early on, that this was likely the work of a single killer (and I'm not willing to dismiss the Gilbert case as part of the series - in fact, it seems entirely consistent with what we know, save that, at the time, the killer had not perfected his technique or fully adopted his M.O.; I think the police ignore that case at the risk of losing the best set of leads they have, all because they don't want to admit that this guy slipped by them before they could stop a further batch of murders).
Now, "bscol" is correct and that is why you so often see "copy-cat crimes" in serial killer cases. It's also why the cops (if they are smart) hold back certain details - e.g., the positioning of the bodies, some peculiar type of ligature mark, some "calling card" left near or on the bodies, etc. Copy-cats, trying to hide their own murders amongst the serial killer's victims, won't know the "secret" and will therefore risk distinguishing their own kill from those of the serial killer's.
I don't think it's strange that you're interested in this story. Serial killers is my thing because it always interests me how/why someone turns to that way of life. They are fascinating to read about, regardless of what others may think or say. I'm not justifying their actions, but it's just like how we are intrigued by the Mafia.
Some police depts are quick to dismiss the idea of multiple killers... its less work, and they can pin them all on one guy, crime solved. They don't care who takes the fall for what bodies, as long as they find the "killer". Their dept statistics look better, and therefore they get more budget money for being effective.
What's the guy gonna say.... oh this body here was mine, but all those aren't.
. . . why would you do that?!?!?!?!?!?!? if you dump a body where other bodies have been found could pin someone else's murders on you. think like a criminal not a dumb@55.
If you take the body of the person you murdered to a area where police have been finding another murderers victims bodies don't you actually increase the chance that you get caught dumping your victim and having at least some of the other murders pinned on you? After all if the cops have been finding bodies in a certain area you would have to assume that there might be more surveillance by the police, more patrols, more traffic stops and more citizen awareness.
a "sex worker"? What is this new politically correct name? Is prostitute now no longer acceptable?
By the way, I hope they catch this dirtbag before he can kill anyone else!!
Were you aware that prostitutes are also people.... Women; daughters; mothers (sometimes); sisters; somebody's friend...? The story, honestly, could've used any of those terms and still have been accurate.
How about hookers, whores, sluts, bitches... hmm, the list goes on and on, any of those would also have been accurate.
I don't care about terminology. It's the attitude behind it that matters.
Prostitutes are not disposable! They're like Bounty. Rinse, wring, use again.
It's much the same way that strippers are now "exotic dancers". I mean really?
So in your example, if they are a paper towel, they need to be thrown away sooner or later.
@Prohibition: "hookers" and "whores" work, "sluts" doesn't, "bitches" varies greatly between individuals. It's a good idea to be nice to those who aren't there to cause harm. There are politicians out there who deserve less respect, yet they tend to get a lot more.
Correct---at least they work for their money and don't steal $T's.
"Were you aware that prostitutes are also people...." Who SHOULD be ashamed of themselves...?
Fixed it!
"It's a good idea to be nice to those who aren't there to cause harm."
Absofreakinglutely! After all, no marriage has EVER been destroyed by a wh0re seeking a wh0re. (extreme sarcasm)
sandtrich...a sex person does not work for their money...it is a different form of stealing.....they take away, and cause infliction unto families. does a sex person verify if your a family person or a single person, no...because they just care about the money....a person selling you fake gold is no different then a sex person. do they get std check ups after every affair, no.... im sure clueless wives who wake up one day with an std really think highly of these hard working sex people. anyways, if people really think, "hey they have to make money somehow too" why don't people save themselves the trouble, and just give them money, yes they are human and need money too, just give them a few bucks, and guess what, that would make them be out in the day, and probably stay in at night making them avoid becoming victims. very sad.
Prostitution is the oldest game in town. A lot of them have been co-erced into the trade. Yes Virginia, sex slavery happens here in the good ol' USA. Some people turn to this because of difficult circumstances, or addictions, etc, etc. Myriad reasons. So, please do not judge them.
Blaming failed marriages on prostitution is silly. If your marriage isn't working out, and instead of fixing things you decide to cheat, then @!$%# will hit the fan regardless of whether prostitutes exist or not. In fact, there's a good chance that plain old cheating is cheaper than hiring a prostitute.
Why is it wrong (or illegal) to sell something that many people give away for free?
"If your marriage isn't working out, and instead of fixing things you decide to cheat, then @!$%# will hit the fan regardless of whether prostitutes exist or not. In fact, there's a good chance that plain old cheating is cheaper than hiring a prostitute."
I can agree with these statements however, SOME married men are the most ballless creatures on the planet; They would rather cheat than fix ANYTHING and MANY of these creatures would rather stay in a troubled marriage (they are usually but not always the trouble) than to do the right thing & just leave.
And even though it would be cheaper to just "get a girlfriend", wh0res rent wh0res all the time.
Sad, but true.
hey i get it! i understand the easy slope down hill, and no i don't have a failed marriage to nobody.......to me it's like, hey if you need money just ask, we will give enough....but keep your sick imagination that perverts people, and the spread of stds, etc isolated, don't spread the worms...it's as simple as, if you don't think that, that is a job everybody should be doing, even a prostitude can agree that other woman should not be doing that, and would not allow their spouse to be doing it, and if they say they would, it would be like hitting yourself in the head all day. if a prostitude came up and said to me, they will give me a good time for money, i would say, awh nooo, your not a slave and i would not treat you as a slave, but if you need money, here you go. thats it, if everybody didn't make these people do this stuff, they wouldn't be doing it, cuz it's not on the market.
We've had the same dumping ground, sex workers, young women -- even though there were the Asian male and the toddler -- but we think they were connected to the sex trade in some way.
So they are just assuming the male and toddler are involved?? seems a little negligent
MRHGI...My guess is they have other common denominators that they aren't talking about to conclude that the toddler and the male are victims of the same killer as the prostitutes.
I wonder why the toddler wasn't reported missing or why anyone hasn't come forward asking about her and the woman assumed to be her mother? In a world that is so "connected", wouldn't someone notice that their daughter/sister/friend/co-worker and her daughter have been gone?
The article refers to the Mother of the toddler as one of the victims. She was a "sex worker" and the male was one also.
I read once - I think it was back in the 1990's, that OVER 100,000 people a year (many of them young people and, especially, young women) go missing in the United States alone. Some of them are reported. Some are not. This is a "disposable society" and we are - or can be - as callous about people as about possessions. My wife and I have spent over a quarter century taking in "street kids" and abused children, all of them basically "throw-aways" - kids whose daddies used them for sexual gratification, kids whose mothers hired them out as prostitutes (when as young as 9). You'd be surprised how few had been reported missing by their own parents or how few ever had a parent inquire as to their condition or whereabouts. Some of these kids were formal referrals, but as many were kids who heard that there was a place to sleep and who would show up at our door. I was chiefly surprised by how few there were who were simply "rebellious teens", objecting to having to live by their parents' rules. 99% of them were on the street because it was better - and safer - than staying home and being beaten half to death by a meth sucking momma or a drunken father.
So, no, "CatChick", it doesn't surprise me at all that nobody has reported these people missing - I mean, really, who takes their toddler with them to call on a "john"? Probably someone who doesn't have any support group of her own, so if Mom and Child and Ching Lee the Pimp all end up murdered, who's gonna notice?
so sad but true,,i was a disposable throw away child,,it happens everyday,, Hopefully they will catch the killer soon,,
Helen, it happens after couples seperate....adults become selfish, it's all mixed emotions....vengeful adults trying to hurt each other and not considering the kids, that's why it is very important we all work together to support couples to stay together, and not support them when they want to do something evil, like go to a strip bar or something. life is hard because adults seem to demand more attention for themselves and think the children don't need any. when we see people with family troubles, we tell them to seperate, instead we need to motivate them to get healthy and try new things to spunk up the relationship for the children, but no, thats too hard for friends to do, instead they want to cheat with our spouses etc. we need to pray for each other alot more, God Bless.
Helen, I am genuinely sorry to hear that. The truth is that my wife and I wanted kids but, between us, we had every infertility problem known to man, woman, or beast. Wasn't gonna happen.
And you know what? We found that there were lots of kids who needed parents and we figured that maybe that was what we were being "saved" for - to provide a home where none existed.
What I got in return was a load of daughters (or "daughters", if you need to be legally correct, since they were fosters and not susceptible to our adoption of them) and a host of really great grandkids, for whom I am the only maternal grandfather they know. I'm "Boppie". Had our lives not been enriched by those whom others were throwing away, I'd never have been "Boppie" or known the joy of it. I hope you found someone to fill that role for you. No child is actually a "throw-away", but there are a lot of parents out there who are too stupid to know that.
MRHGI, they might mean that the tot and male are related to a victim via DNA.
My wife has said that tonight or tomorrow there's going to be a bit on TV about this; perhaps that'll shed more light. I've thought the police hadn't something sooner so as not to cause panic or appear unable to stop the killings, but now am waiting until I hear more about the area... perhaps it's one of those that the occasional body is dumped at. It sounds to be more or less a deserted, back highway area.
Once again, it seems hookers are the victims of choice. There may be more of a reason, but it seems they're chosen at times simply because they're not missed as much or at all and it's easier for the serial killer to rack up bodies. I've heard that there are 10 to 12 serial killers in operation at any given time; this is the average. That was a bit unsettling, but not surprising. Given the economic times, I'd not be surprised to hear the average up some, as so many are down and out, and out on the streets.
Why hookers though? Why not homeless people?
I'm pretty sure there's motivation beyond a need to kill.
Spartan, the motivation is an easy target. Prostitutes willingly get into cars or go off to hotels with strangers, thereby making them terrific victims. Homeless people, not so much.
"Why hookers though? Why not homeless people?
I'm pretty sure there's motivation beyond a need to kill."
I'm thinking: why not pedophiles? Chris Hansen has shone us how easy it is to lure them.........
But innocent people are being targeted here, not criminals. This isn't the work of a vigilante.
So they think it was a single killer, really? I've always assumed it was 10 different killers who all just coincidentally dropped the bodies in the same area.
Up next: Scientific evidence indicates Sun likely to rise in East tomorrow morning
MRHGI please re-read the article. The male is a suspected sex worker. The toddler is probably the child of one of the unidentified women. Prostitutes work with their children in tow more often than people realize. So, of course, it's highly possible that this could be the work of one killer.
Does it make a lot of sense to release this much information about this? I guess they don't care if the killer (s) don't come back?
I've been told by a few profilers that it is a common practice for these people to return to the "burial" ground to relive the crimes...if they don't know, or have a suspicion as to who it is, it would make sense to me to try to keep as much of it out of the media, especially the location and number of bodies involved.
It must be a single Cereal Killer! His M.O. is the same at each scene, all the victims had Trix stuffed up their butts!
Silly chocha, Trix are for kids!
Probalby some religious freak who's gonna claim "God was talking to him" to kill all the prostitutes in New York because of their wicked ways.
And as we all know, it's extremely rare that prostitutes actually harm anyone. So he's just scum that needs to be put down.
May be, just may be, he's an atheist, pretending to be a religious freak, using the "God spoke to me" excuse to cast doubt upon his real identity. The reason he is killing so many is because he got ticked at prostitutes because one of them ripped him off or gave him the clap, so he is on a mission to rid New York of the clap carrying street walking pick pockets.
I’m kind of grumpy this morning, so apologize in advance when I say this.
The man and toddler, in my mind, could have been an innocent bystander.
But if those women were indeed sex-workers, I am not sure if I care enough who killed them. I understand they were someone’s daughter or mother, or could have been a good friend, so please don’t preach this scripture to me. I highly doubt they were paying back into society, voting someone into office, or working on a vaccine for cancer.
They're not contributing any less than your average waitress, janitor, or security guard. Compared to certain lawyers and politicians, they're actually contributing more by not obstructing justice or preaching hatred. Just because they aren't scientists doesn't mean they aren't doing anything. While I have no need for prostitutes myself, there are people who do--and who enjoy the services provided.
That's pretty cold. No one deserves to be killed for the fun of it, regardless of their profession, and in an ideal world, all murderers would be caught and taken off the streets.
Is their life worthless to you because of their line of work? Would you care more if it was some doctor that was murdered, or a philanthropist instead because you deem them more worthy of living?
That is true. I'm working on my second cup of coffee and less grumpy.
I know, I know, vaild point Miami. Some part of me would care more. Does that make me a bad person, or just honest? That is being human. Most, but not all, would care a little more. We see that all the time.
Gee Grumpy. Sounds like you might need a laxative also!
Of course they paid back into society, they ate, bought goods, paid for transportation of some sort, and the rest of life's goods.
so everyone who doesn't have a direct contribution to society is useless to you? i guess that means your grandparents, parents (maybe), homeless people, mentally disabled people, most physically disabled people, unemployed people, and countless other people that don't have a direct effect on your life are all useless and we shouldn't care if someone murders them or not?
SPARTAN............They actually don't contribute as much as people who are working and paying income taxes, however, they are still not worthy of being murdered due to their profession. If there was no demand for this type of work, there would be no sex workers. But I agree with someone else up there, they are easily accessible and easily pursuaded to go to hotel rooms, get into cars, etc. They make ideal victims, sorry to say!
@common sense: to add to your point, prostitutes actually do work, unlike the homeless and disabled who literally live off others. If it's not acceptable to kill homeless people, it sure as hell ain't acceptable to kill prostitutes.
@chilly: there will always be a demand, as long as there are people who have great difficulty getting laid. Prostitution is something that needs to be regulated and taxed.
where is Horatio Cain we need him now, he can solve this case in half a day. . . *probably too busy taking his shades on and off*. may be we need to get criminal minds folks involved. jokes aside, I hope this psycho gets caught before he kills again.
In my opinion, he did these as random killings so he couldn't be related to them. If he really wanted to kill more people, he shouldnt have dumped the bodies in just one location, but should have done them in differnt areas
Gordon: They use a "common" burial ground because they go back & "visit" the
bodies to re-live their former successes. In fact, a lot of them get gratification
just in re-living the event in any way they can. If they're unable to get another
victim, they live in the past rememberances.
they release info on purpose and only as much as they deem to be pertinent. when we had the serial killer in la. they kept sending out info to throw off the murderer...they were wrong on the profile as we now know and had the perp 2xs and could have prevented quite a few murders. might not be perfect, but i think they know what they are doing much better than armchair detectives on the net.
Read before you post.
The information (or part of the information) may have been released purposely. The investigators may be able to anticipate the killer's response or reaction to having read the story.
everyone knows criminals always return to the scene of the crime and obviously this guy has several times, why not put up survalience since we dont know exactly when he will return at least this way they can catch a face or have more of a lead the next time a body shows up
These deaths are tragic and I hope that the killer is brought to justice soon. What's also tragic is that these victims are prostitutes. Theirs is not a lifestyle, but a deathstyle. With all the crazies out there, not to mention hideous diseases, can it be worth the money? Most tragic is that a child lost his life for his mother's whoredom. All that are out there selling themselves should think of the others who are affected by your "lifestyle". May God show us a better way.
your post kind of fits our profile of the suspect.bookem dano
To bad, New York is so backward in their thinking about gun laws or these people might still be alive and the murderer six feet under.
Who said anything about the use of a firearm? How did YOU know that? What's your name and address, buddy?
-Sgt. Trevor McDuffy NY STATE POLICE.
Better yet, go turn yourself in. that is the only way the cops are going to SOLVE the case. lol
Quote of the Day:
The police have no idea what is going on. Great news story. No information but the "think" it is one person......
REally. That is the best you can do.....save it for your book deal
Gee, looks like they need to call HOTCH and the gang.
I agree! They'd have it figured out in 60 minutes, just in time to save the next victim!
It's more believable that there are two mass murderers who used the same dumping ground. The last set of found bodies were not hidden as well as the older murder victims were.
Ok, must be a slow news day!
Sex worker ....We should all hang our heads in shame to see a term like that used. I suppose when they find the person who committed the crime he'll be called a protein redistribution specialist.
What took so long??? I bet most people have assumed one killer all along.
Union donut break
"Union donut break"
lol
Lead by Sgt McDuff the crime dog!
lol