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Long Island serial killerUnidentified serial killer believed to have killed at least four prostitutes
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 USA |
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Unidentified Long Island Serial Killer
The unidentified serial killer, believed to have killed at least four prostitutes, remains unknown to this day. Known as the Craigslist Ripper and the Long Island Ripper, he is suspected to have begun his killing spree in 2003. The bodies of his victims were scattered along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree in Suffolk County and Jones Beach State Park in Nassau County. The remains of four potential victims were discovered in December 2010, with six more found in March and April 2011. Police reports suggest that the most recent remains likely preceded the four bodies discovered in December 2010. On May 9, 2011, authorities revealed that two of the recent sets of remains may be the work of another killer. Prosecutors now believe that three to four killers may be responsible for the bodies recently found on Long Island's coast.
Biography
Little is known about the Long Island Serial Killer's personal life, including their name, age, and background. The killer began targeting prostitutes in 2003, with the victims often advertising their services on the free online classifieds platform Craigslist. The first body was discovered in December 2010, when an officer and his dog found the remains of a woman in a nearly torn burlap sack during routine training exercises. This discovery led to the investigation of three additional bodies found two days later on the north side of Ocean Parkway.
Richard Dormer, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department, stated, "Four bodies found in the same location speak for themselves. This is not a mere coincidence. We may be dealing with a serial killer." In the following months, four more bodies were discovered in a different area near Ocean Parkway in March and April 2011. The search area was expanded to include Nassau County, as authorities sought to determine if there were additional victims.
One of the initial leads in the investigation was the disappearance of 24-year-old prostitute Shannan Gilbert from New Jersey in May 2010. She was last seen alive in Oak Beach after meeting with one of her clients. The bodies found in December 2010 were initially linked to her case. However, it was later revealed that the recent sets of remains may have been the work of different killers.
The Long Island Serial Killer's victims include Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year-old prostitute from Norwich, Connecticut, whose remains were found in December 2010. Melissa Barthelemy, a 24-year-old Bronx resident who advertised her services on Craigslist, was reported missing in July 2009. Her sister received taunting and insulting phone calls from an unknown man using Melissa's phone after her disappearance. It is believed that Melissa's killer was responsible for these calls. Megan Waterman, a 22-year-old woman from Maine, also went missing in June 2010 after posting an advertisement on Craigslist. Her body was found in December 2010. Amber Lynn Costello, a 27-year-old known drug addict and prostitute from North Babylon, New York, disappeared in September 2010. Her last known interaction was with a stranger who offered her $1,500 for her services.
The investigation into the Long Island Serial Killer's crimes has expanded to include the possibility of connections to four unsolved murders of prostitutes in Atlantic City, New Jersey in November 2006. Of the ten bodies discovered since late 2010, four have been identified. All of the victims were strangled, and their bodies were wrapped in burlap sacks. The killer's identity and motives remain a mystery, and the case remains unsolved.
