RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Suffolk County's new police commissioner is following through on a promise to try to solve the notorious Gilgo Beach serial killer case that has gone unsolved for more than a decade.
Commissioner Rodney Harrison on Tuesday announced the formation of the multi-agency Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force comprised of investigators from the FBI, New York State Police, Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Squad, Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.
Harrison, the former NYPD chief of department, noted the task force represents a "renewed commitment" in solving the cold case and said some members of the task force will meet daily.
“As I said on day one as police commissioner, I believe this case is solvable and identifying the person or people responsible for these murders is a top priority,” Harrison said. “I would like to thank all of our partner agencies for dedicating these talented investigators to this task force and I look forward to working with them to bring justice to the families of these victims and solving this decades-old case.”
The cold case involves 11 victims whose remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach off Ocean Parkway between 2010 and 2011.
The investigation first began as a missing person case with police searching for Shannan Gilbert, of Jersey City, who disappeared after working as an escort in Oak Beach.
During the search effort, officers discovered the body of the first victim on Dec. 11, 2010. The remains of three more victims were discovered just two days later. Over the next several months, the bodies of the remaining victims, including an unidentified female toddler, were discovered. Gilbert's remains were located on Dec. 13, 2011.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Members of the newly-created task force will work to retrace the steps of the victims prior to their deaths, focus on identifying the remaining victims, continue to use new scientific techniques to advance the investigation and review all of the evidence gathered throughout the years in an effort to find the person responsible for the murders.
"The families of the victims discovered in areas around Gilgo Beach deserve answers and to see their loved ones’ killer, or killers, face justice," Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI New York said. "We will support this task force with the tools it needs to hopefully bring the investigation of these murders to a successful conclusion."
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case.
Tips can be submitted to the Gilgo News website or by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.
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