Babylon, New York- The missing woman whose disappearance eventually precipitated the discovery of several sets of remains at the side of Ocean Parkway in New York can now be laid to rest, police in Suffolk County, New York have confirmed.

24-year-old Shannan Gilbert was living in New Jersey and had met a client on Oak Beach via Craigslist the night she disappeared. In December of that year, a police officer discovered nearly skeletal remains in a battered burlap bag in the area in which Gilbert was last seen alive, reviving interest in her disappearance. When all was said and done, four more sets of remains were located in the area of Oak Beach, leading police to conclude that a serial killer had used the location to discard bodies. In April and May of 2011, when searching resumed, another six sets of remains were uncovered on the beaches, bringing the total toll to at least ten.

But in a surprising twist, Gilbert’s body was not among the dead. Several of the bodies were identified as missing sex workers- Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22 and Amber Lynn Costello, 27- but several more sets, including that of a man and a child, remained unidentified. All are believed to in some way be associated with the sex trade. Earlier this week, a previously undiscovered body was located in a marsh at Oak Beach, and police said that they believed the remains were that of Gilbert- and that they do not believe she had been murdered. A cause of death has not been determined, however.

Shannan Gilbert’s Remains Positively ID’d by Suffolk Medical Examiner is a post from: The Inquisitr

Not too long ago, it was speculated that the serial killer or serial killers suspected in the deaths of several women and a baby or child found dumped at the side of Ocean Parkway on Long Island had working knowledge of law enforcement procedures, were possibly current or former law enforcement officers themselves, and that the circumstance could be impeding police efforts to identify the killers.

The New York Post today contends that a former NYPD cop and another cop assigned to desk duty due to past issues with prostitutes are being investigated in relation to the slayings. The NYP declined to identify the men, but describe a disturbing history of suspected misconduct and abuse of sex workers:

One cop was forced out of the job in the 1990s when his supervisors learned he spent time pursuing hookers and paying street walkers and down-and-out women for sex while he was supposed to be on patrol.

An internal investigation led to his resigning under pressure, one source said.

The other officer still works for the NYPD but was stripped of his gun and badge years ago because he allegedly assaulted a prostitute and got arrested during a sting operation.

The latter was moved to desk duty, the Post reports, but is unable to respond to emergencies or make arrests because higher ups didn’t “trust him.” The two men, however, are not the sole focus of the investigation.

NY Post: Two NYPD cops eyed in serial killer case is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to the New York Times, the suspected serial killer who has been dumping the bodies of sex workers at the side of the road off Ocean Parkway is actually more likely two serial killers.

Suffolk DA Thomas Spota says that some indicators suggest that despite the proximity of the bodies, differing patterns in victim profiles as well as fluctuations in how the bodies were disposed suggest the murders may not be connected:

He said one of them most likely belonged to an Asian male in his late teens or early 20s. He appeared to have died a violent death, but the circumstances appeared different than those of the other people found, Mr. Spota said.

The eighth body belonged to a toddler, likely a girl, Mr. Spota said. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket with no obvious signs of trauma.

“While the toddler was found only 250 feet away from Jane Doe No. 6, there is no indication so far that they are connected,” Mr. Spota said.

Some of the victims were dismembered, Spota disclosed, and partial remains for some of the victims were located several years ago in Manorville, 45 miles east of the Ocean Parkway location. One positive identification was made recently, indicating some of the remains found belonged to 20-year-old Jessica Taylor. Two further sets of remains were found near Ocean Parkway in Nassau County, and those remains have not yet been identified.

Authorities suspect two serial killers on Long Island is a post from: The Inquisitr

The body count at the side of Ocean Parkway in my hometown of Babylon has risen to a staggering 10 to 12 sets of remains, including one set believed to have belonged to a baby or child.

Law enforcement officials are keeping mum on what they do know about the Long Island serial killer, though tidbits have escaped. Theories abound that the murderer may have inside law enforcement knowledge due to his technical savvy, and some cops have suggested the killer may have operated in and around Atlantic City preying on sex workers in the mid 00s.

What we do know is that the body of Shannan Gilbert, the missing woman who sparked off the investigation, is not one of the ones yet found in the brush at Gilgo Beach. Police are proactively hoping to put sex workers on high alert, lest they become the killer’s next victim. Women (and men) who work the Craigslist curb have been advised to observe safety precautions while police work to identify the person responsible for the murders as well as the identities of several of his victims.

Advising sex workers to “trust your gut,” social worker Maryse Mitchell-Brody has the following advise for prostitutes to stay safe while the Long Island serial killer is still free:

Among the strategies the group advocates are so-called “safe calls” escorts make to friends in order to let each other know where they are and when their sessions with clients are supposed to end.“Tell somebody where you are going to be,” Mitchell-Brody said. “Send them a call beforehand. Say that ‘if you don’t hear from me by a certain time, call the police or tell this person who is nearby.’”

Mitchell-Brody adds that sex workers are often targeted because violent criminals know “they can get away with it.”

Sex workers cautioned in Long Island serial killer case is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the bodies recently unearthed at the side of the road at Gilgo Beach on Long Island is that of a baby or child, police say.

The development is puzzling according to law enforcement officials, because it breaks with known serial killer patterns in selecting victims.

“One doesn’t match the others. It’s a young person, possibly as young as an infant, or a child,” said the source, who is familiar with the investigation.

“If that’s the case, then that wouldn’t fit the pattern,” the source added, suggesting that the victim may not be related to the other murders, believed to be the work of a serial killer.

It’s possible the find is a coincidence, but given the remote location and cluster of bodies, it is an awfully large one. Puzzling too is the fact that the women whose bodies have been identified are known sex workers thought to have been meeting johns over at the beach through the use of Craigslist.

Investigators believe the murders are linked to a similar serial killer operating in the mid 00s in Atlantic City, given similarities in the cases. In both sets of murders, prostitutes were targeted, strangled, and their bodies discarded alongside desolate stretches of oceanside road.

Scary: Cops say one of Long Island serial killer’s victims a baby or child is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police searching for the remains of Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker who is believed to have gone missing on Long Island, have uncovered three more unburied bodies in the underbrush at the side of Ocean Parkway at Gilgo Beach.

The initial, gruesome discovery made in the search for Gilbert yielded the remains of four women: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Megan Waterman, 22, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 28, and Melissa Barthelemy, 24. Later searches of the area after heavy snow over a large portion of late December and January led the the discovery of fifth body, and police are working to identify that person.

The three additional bodies were wrapped in burlap and located not far from where the others were discovered. Police say despite the pending IDs for the bodies located this weekend, they feel certain Gilbert did not leave the beach alive. The Wall Street Journal describes the last known sighting of Gilbert:

Ms. Gilbert became upset, accused the man of trying to kill her, called 911 and then called her driver, who was waiting outside the home. The woman fled the home and ran to a neighboring house. The neighbor told The Wall Street Journal and the police he last saw the woman running off his property being followed by her driver.

Police expect confirmation on whether the remains are that of Gilbert “quickly,” and say they have DNA samples for the missing woman.

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Discovery of three more bodies brings Long Island beach count to eight is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police searching for a missing prostitute in the underbrush on Ocean Parkway in Babylon have yielded a shocking discovery that creates more questions than answers, as four bodies were discovered in the searched area.

Babylon (incidentally my hometown, and where I currently live) has several barrier beaches, and the gruesome find was uncovered close to popular summer spot Oak Beach. Law enforcement officials were searching for a 24-year-old woman named Shonnon Gilbert of Jersey City, who was last known to be in the area after purportedly meeting with someone she’d met on Craigslist. Gilbert’s body is said to be one of the four located, and all the “badly decomposed” corpses seem to have been ditched from a moving vehicle on Ocean Parkway.

Initial evidence has indicated the victims were likely killed elsewhere, and Captain Obvious Police Commissioner Richard Dormer of the Suffolk Police says officials believe there may be a serial killer on the loose. All four bodies were found within 1000 feet of one another, and Dormer said the search for evidence or further bodies is ongoing:

“We’re going to continue to search in this area to find out if there’s any more evidence, forensics, that kind of thing, and if there’s possibly more bodies,” Dormer said.

Police have also said that one of the bodies could be that of missing Maine resident Megan Waterford, last known to have been seen at a Hauppauge Holiday Inn.

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Search for missing woman yields four corpses at Long Island beach is a post from: The Inquisitr

As we reported yesterday, a big-ass shark washed up unexpectedly on the beach in my hometown of Babylon, NY. At Gilgo! Holla!

Swimmers, surfers and presumably some douchey guidos were stunned by the appearance of the gigantic beast, but apparently there’s nothing to fear as it’s a “harmless shark.” I didn’t know sharks came in harmless, but whatevs. A local sharkologist was quoted on the non-scary creature:

“He’s a plankton feeder. You can see inside there’s no teeth inside his mouth,” said marine biologist Tracy Marcus. “He’s a relatively harmless kind of shark, but large.”

“It’s the second largest fish in the world, second to the whale shark,” Marcus said.

The shark was not long for this world as it came ashore- which is unusual, as ill and dying sharks apparently like to die in the water. Not soon after the shark washed up, it expired and shocked onlookers watched as it was cut up into pieces to be examined somewhere out in Riverhead. Ew.

Anyway, that’s my Saturday afternoon shot to pieces.  Thanks, shark.

[Image, top: Newsday]

Huge frick-off shark washes up in Babylon is a post from: The Inquisitr