News: Tracking the Gilgo Beach Killer
(Long Island, N.Y.) In the past weeks, police and authorities have been involved in a heavy duty search for evidence leading to suspects in a string of murders. Though none have been named, at least nine victims have been found, and sources say that police are already starting to target certain individuals. Emergency Services Unit, K-9 Unit, and the Bureau of Special Operations are among those involved with the investigation and search for evidence of a Long Island serial killer.
The biggest question seems to be how many bodies will be found at the close of the investigation, which is spanning close to the beach season that draws tourists and visitors to areas of the search. Since four of the victims have been identified, another question raised by the investigation is how many other missing persons will be discovered in the quest for missing person Shannan Gilbert. Reports have conflicted concerning whether the first four victims are linked to those of the more recent finds. Nonetheless, police are already attempting to profile a killer.
Some reports have stated that the four women found in December had been strangled. Reports also claimed that one of the women was found with an item around her neck, and the family of one victim received a death certificate that listed “asphyxia” as the cause of death. The FBI has enlisted a Profiling Unit, Behavior Analysis Unit, and Forensic Unit to help aid Nassau and Suffolk County Police. The Profiling Unit has been used to help pinpoint potential suspects, while the Forensic Unit analyzes evidence.
The FBI has also provided technological assistance and equipment to the Suffolk County Police Department, and has aided in searching the computer belonging to the boyfriend of one of the victims. Some reports have stated that the differences among the remains suggest that more than one killer is responsible for the murders. The first set of remains found were wrapped in burlap and dumped relatively close to Ocean Parkway. The second set was not wrapped in burlap, and some were found in plastic garbage bags. Some remains were found further inland and away from the parkway.
Some reports have also stated that police are looking at the similarities between the four women found in December and the four found in Atlantic City in 2006. If the two cases are connected, it could be possible that the killer is targeting women in beach town communities. Other reports have stated that a similar case involving four female victims occurred in Daytona Beach in 2008 and that at least one Atlantic City victim spent time on Long Island prior to her death.
Reports have stated that County Executive Edward Mangano and officials on the case want to send a message that no place in Nassau County is a good place to commit murder. Nonetheless, it is likely that the killer is comfortable with the area, and some researchers following the case claim that the killer may have an extensive knowledge of search procedures. They pinpoint the killer as a white male with above average intelligence, who leads a normal life and is socially organized. They claim that he is not a loner and that his IQ may even exceed 120.
The cadaver-sniffing dogs have played a vital role in the search for remains because of their ability to locate decomposition odors. Followers of the case have deducted that the killer dumped the bodies at night after killing his victims in a separate location. With a dark setting and the secluded location of the roadway, the killer would have been able to see the lights of passing cars miles away. It’s unsure whether the second set of remains found predates the first.
