News: Gilgo Beach Timeline
(Long Island, N.Y.) Since more sets of human remains were found this week as the search moved into Nassau County, police and officials are keeping all possibilities open in their investigation of a serial killer(s). As the search for more evidence continues, this time spanning eastward into Hemlock Cove, authorities have been in communication with other departments that have dealt with similar cases.
Without any confirmed leads, a rough sketch of a possible serial killer has been presented in some reports by experts on the case. It’s likely that the killer has narcissistic and sociopathic qualities, and is a pathological liar and thrill-seeker. The most distinguishable trait of killers in these cases is that they lack empathy and remorse.
It’s likely that the killer follows developments in the case via the news and media, but it’s unlikely that reports will stop him from killing again. It’s possible that the killer is even married and may have children, based on his desire to appear to be leading a normal life. Experts on the case have suggested that it’s likely that the killer may be looking for a new dumpsite in the wake of the attention brought to the Gilgo Beach area.
Investigators have recapped the timeline of events leading to the discovery of more remains in recent searches. The first development in the case began on May 1st, 2010 when New Jersey native Shannan Gilbert went missing from the Oak Beach area. In their search for Gilbert, Suffolk Police and cadaver dogs discovered a human skeleton four miles from Oak Beach at Gilgo. Police expected the remains to belong to Gilbert; the first set of remains was found on December 11th, 2010.
Just two days after the first discovery three more sets of remains were found on December 13th. On January 24th, 2011 all four sets of remains had been identified as Caucasian women in their twenties who had arranged to meet clients on Craigslist the night of their disappearance. Their ages range from twenty-two to twenty-seven years.
After the remains were identified, police discovered that phone calls believed to have come from the killer were made to the sister of a victim after her disappearance on July 12th, 2009. One of the identified victims has been missing since 2007. Sources say that all four of the women were believed to be strangled.
On March 29th, 2011, after snow had melted and the investigation was resumed, a fifth set of remains was found in Suffolk County, causing police to extend their search. On April 4th, 2011 three more sets of remains were found in the area. Of these recent remains, a child no older than five was found in a blanket near the remains of an adult. A human head was found in a plastic bag, and one of the remains showed evidence of dismemberment. Some reports have stated that there was one male among these remains, and one theory claims that the man responsible could have killed a pimp and child of one of his targets.
The two sets of remains found in Nassau County included what sources say is a female skull and vertebra found sitting on the surface of sand and leg bones found stuffed in a black plastic bag. At least one of the unidentified Suffolk victims was found in the same wrapping, and authorities have not ruled out that the remains could be from the same individual.
Some reports have stated that the recent discoveries had been there long enough for roots to grow around them. One theory is that the bones may belong to victims of serial killer Joel Rifkin who once lived in East Meadow. Rifkin dumped his victims hundreds of miles apart in an effort to evade police and claimed to have murdered seventeen women, though he was only convicted of killing nine.
