Police Release New Evidence in Serial Killer Case

Police in Long Island have released surveillance video footage of a woman in her last hours, before she became a victim of the Gilgo Beach killer, per CBS New York. It all started twelve years ago with the 2010 search for one missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, which led to the discovery of several other bodies. Gilbert's remains were found in December 2011. A total of eleven bodies have been recovered, including those of six female sex workers; most are believed be victims of a single serial killer. Along with the video, police announced a doubling of the reward to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison says, “We are making real progress.” Investigators believe the video shows Megan Waterman—whose remains were also found—leaving a New York hotel on her way to meet the killer. “We hope that anyone who may have been in the area that night or may have seen any of the individuals depicted in these videos will reach out to our Crime Stoppers hotline [800-220-TIPS].” Five surveillance videos of Waterman have been posted on Gilgonews.com. The Long Island Press reports they cover the period of June 4-6, 2010 and show Waterman entering and exiting the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge.

Gilbert's sister, Sherre Gilbert, expressed frustration at the pace of the investigation: "You’re releasing things that you could have released from the very beginning," she told CBS. Police also have a recording of Gilbert’s 911 call—NBC New York reports she placed a 22-minute call from Oak Beach saying someone was trying to kill her—but it has not been released, despite a court order stating that it should be. Gilbert family attorney John Ray painted the shared videos as "the first step, but it's a very small baby step towards what should be done, which is to bring the public into this case. It's the only way this will be solved." NBC New York notes officials have said they don't think Gilbert's case is connected to the others, as the details of her death differ. (More serial killer stories.)