Police confirmed Wednesday that material unearthed last night on a Long Island beach not far from where the bodies of several prostitutes were found late last year are indeed human remains.
Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said the remains were discovered by a Marine Bureau officer who spotted something "of interest" Tuesday. The medical examiner is now analyzing the remains. It is unclear if they belong to a male or female.
The remains were found just west of Cedar Beach, about one mile east of where the four bodies were found over the winter. Officers had resumed a search of the area in the hopes of finding Shannan Gilbert, 24, a New Jersey prostitute who disappeared after she visited a client near Oak Beach last May.
Dormer said the new remains could provide valuable information in the hunt for the killer or killers. "We look at this as an opportunity. There may be clues available now with this body that will help with the homicide investigation."
Homicide detectives continue to investigate the deaths of four women whose remains were found in the same area in December.
Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, of Norwich, Conn., Melissa Barthelemy, 24, of Erie County, N.Y., Amber Lynn Costello, 27, of North Babylon, and Megan Waterman, 22, of Scarborough, Maine, all went missing after responding to ads on Craigslist.
Investigators believe the bodies were systematically dumped over a period of 18 months or longer, and that the killings are linked.
The women's causes of death have yet to be revealed; but it's believed each was killed in the same way by the same person or persons, said Suffolk DA Thomas Spota at a January news conference.
"This fits the definition of what a serial killer would be," Spota added.
Dormer said Gilbert's family has been kept abreast of the investigation and has supplied the woman's DNA to assist in the identification.
Dormer said a full scale search for more bodies will resume Monday after expected bad weather moves out of the region.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case. Detectives ask anyone with information to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
