Long Island News Post Published on May, 11th 2020
Written by Nick P
Suffolk County Police Ordered To Release Tape Regarding Gilgo Beach Killer
Last week a panel of appeals court judges ruled in favor of releasing transcripts of the 911 call from 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert that led authorities to find 10 sets of human remains, allegedly victims of the Long Island Serial Killer.
The Appellate Division officially upheld a lower court ruling that mandates police to turn in both the recording and transcript of the full 23 minute 911 call. This comes as a result of a lawsuit by the Gilbert family against an Oak Beach man who is said to have interacted with Gilbert on the night of her disappearance.
The recording of the 911 call had not been made available in the past to avoid interfering with the ongoing police investigation at the time.
In a statement from attorney John Ray who represents the Gilbert family, he explains “The SCPD is now finally required by law to produce to me the controversial 911 recordings,”. He continued to add “It is especially pleasing that the Appellate Division’s decision to uphold the court order to release the recordings was made the week of the 10th anniversary of Shannan’s disappearance.”
Unfortunately, the call cannot be released to the press or the public until a further court order.
When Did Shannon Gilbert Make This Call?
The Shannon Gilbert 911 call in question occurred on May 1, 2010, now over a full decade ago. Local authorities ended up finding Shannon Gilbert's remains in a marsh in Oak Beach in December 2011. The official cause of Gilbert's death has been deemed “inconclusive” with speculation that she ran into the marsh and later drowned.
Her family believes that she was a victim to the Long Island Serial Killer and that she did not drown in the marsh. If she was not a victim of the LISK, it is possible that she may have been running into the marsh as a way to flee the killer and drowned as a result.
When police went to look for her at Oak Beach, they also found the remains of four other women in nearby Gilgo Beach that December of that year.
Later that year, police ended up finding six more bodies along Ocean Parkway.
The Shannon Gilbert case is still open and is currently undergoing a reinvestigation.
Who Were The Other 4 Bodies Found By Authorities?
The first four other sets of remains found by authorities at Gilgo Beach in 2011 were dubbed as “The Gilgo Four”. The first four victims of the Long Island Serial killer that were discovered were Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Melissa Barthelemy.
As police tried to search for a common theme between these women, the only connection seems to be that they had all worked as an escort at some point in their life. It is unfortunate as the oldest one of these victims was only 27 years old.
Was the Long Island Serial Killer Ever Caught?
The Suffolk County Police Department has been unable to find the Long Island Serial killer but has been able to produce a list of suspects. The list of Long Island Serial Killer Suspects includes three men from Long Island, John Bittrolff, Joseph Brewer, and Dr. Peter Hackett.
Of these three men, both Joseph Brewer and Dr. Peter Hackett were both residents of Oak Beach and had direct interaction with Shannon Gilbert around the time when she went missing.
Joseph Brewer was said to have hired Gilbert off the now deleted “Long Island Escorts” Craigslist Page. He stated Gilbert arrived at his Oak Beach home but began acting crazy before running out into the night and slamming on his neighbor's doors exclaiming “they were trying to kill her” and other outcries for help.
Dr. Peter Hackett also interacted with Gilbert on the day she went missing. Authorities were able to discover this because Dr. Hackett called Gilbert's mother after she went missing, explaining how he “runs a home for wayward girls” and treated Gilbert medically on May 1st, which happens to be the same day she went missing.
Even though police have been able to come up with a list of suspects in this case, no one has been indicted on murder charges yet. The case remains open and the investigation is ongoing.
Hopefully, police are able to find additional evidence in the 911 call being released that will help bring justice for the victims' families.
FOLLOW: Long Island Hub's Instagram!
Long Island News Post Published May 11th, 2020
Written by Nick P
Long Island Hub Members Also Viewed These:
- Long Island Serial Killer
- The Amityville Murders
- Long Island News
Scroll Back Up