On Gilgo Beach last night, the body of an adult female was discovered at around 9:30 PM, but police have not determined much more about the incident — though they’re inclined to believe that the woman is not a victim of the killer or killers responsible for the deaths of several women and at least one child found in the same spot in recent years.
The Gilgo Beach body was discovered on Monday evening after day visitors had left the area and the beach was formally closed for the day.
Local news source Newsday says the body was first spotted in the surf, and that witnesses watched as the woman’s corpse washed ashore and called police:
“The body, which ‘appeared to be an adult female,’ was discovered by people walking along the ocean side of the beach just before 9:30 p.m., a Suffolk County police spokeswoman said Tuesday morning. Those passersby observed the body in the water and then watched it wash ashore, police said.”
The paper indicates that Marine Bureau officers and homicide detectives arrived on scene but were not able to initially determine the woman’s age or identity, nor could they tell how long the Gilgo Beach body had been in the water.
Cops were not immediately able to link the Gilgo Beach body to any active missing persons cases in the area, which may rule out a local drowning or boating mishap.
The body was taken to the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office to determine cause of death and other identifying factors.
Given Gilgo Beach’s notability in a recent string of serial killer cases involving mostly sex workers discovered in the brush by the side of Ocean Parkway, speculation initially turned toward the still unresolved case and a possible new victim.
But Suffolk Police say the Gilgo Beach body is not likely connected to the killer or killers responsible for the multiple victim case kicked off when several victims were located in an unrelated search for Shannan Gilbert. Gilbert was later found dead, but not before remains from 10 to 14 other victims were unearthed near Ocean Parkway.
