The Long Island Serial Killer
The Long Island Serial Killer
The Long Island Serial killer is an unidentified suspected serial killer who is often also referred to as LISK. They are believed to have murdered between 10-16 people over a period of at least 20 years. Many of the victim’s bodies were dismembered and disposed of in the south shore areas of Long Island. Most victims were either escorts or sex workers who advertised themselves on Craiglist. The disappearance of Shannon Gilbert in 2010 forced the police to search the areas along the ocean parkway near remote beach towns of Gilgo and Oak. The majority of the remains linked to the LISK were found over a period of months in 2010 and 2011, however, some that are connected were found up to a decade earlier.
The remains of the victims who came to be known as ‘The Gilgo Four’ were found within a quarter of a mile of each other in December of 2011.
- Maureen Brainard-Barnes (25)
Mother of two who worked as a paid escort via Craiglist to pay for her mortgage. Very petite, 4ft 11in, 105 lbs. Was strangled to death.
- Melissa Barthelemy (24)
Worked as an escort through Craiglist. 4ft 10in, was strangled to death.
- Megan Waterman (22)
Disappeared after placing escort advert on Craiglist. Mother of one, who had become a victim of sex trafficking. 5ft 5in, was strangled to death.
- Amber Lynn Costello (27)
Sex worker and regular drug user. 4ft 11in, 100lbs. Was strangled to death.
Six more sets of remains were later found in March and April of 2011, in both Suffolk and Nassau county. Police believe that these killings predate those of ‘The Gilgo Four’. Four of the six sets of remains were found just two miles east of those found in 2010.
- Jessica Taylor (20)
Went missing in 2003. Her skull, hands and forearms were found in 2011. Although her torso was previously found in July of 2003. She worked as a sex worker in Washing D.C and Manhattan.
- Valerie Mack AKA Melissa Taylor (24)
Went missing in 2000. Her torso was found in Manorville in November of 2000 but was not identified until 2020. Police later found her head, feet and hands in April of 2011.
- Peaches AKA Jane Doe No. 3
In April of 2011 police found the dismembered skeletal remains in Nassau County. DNA analysis later positively linked it to a torso that was previously found in 1997 at Hempstead Lake State Park. The unidentified African-American woman had a heart-shaped peach tattoo on her left breast with a bite taken out of it.
- Baby Doe
A skeletal female toddler, aged 1 – 3 years, was found just 250 feet from the remains of Valerie Mack on April 4th of 2011. Wrapped in a blanket and showing no visible signs of trauma. DNA tests later determined that she was the daughter of Peaches AKA Jane Doe No. 3 who was found 10 miles east.
- John Doe AKA Asian Male
The body of an Asian male aged 17-23, was found in 2011 at Gilgo Beach very close to the original four discoveries. Although male they were wearing women’s clothing, possibly indicating that they were transgender. Police claimed the individual had been dead for between 5-10 years. The cause of death was blunt force trauma.
- Jane Doe No. 7 AKA Fire Island Jane Doe
A human skull and several teeth were found at Tobay Beach in April of 2011. DNA testing linked the skull to a pair of severed legs found in a garbage bag on Fire Island in April of 1996.
Shannon Gilbert
Shannon’s remains were not discovered until December 13th of 2011. She was found in the marsh approximately half a mile from where she went missing. She was last seen banging on the local resident’s doors asking for help in what many believed was a drug-fueled state. Gilbert made a 911 call saying she feared for her own life. Police have stated that Gilbert’s death is not linked to the LISK. Her cause of death remains contested, with police claiming accidental drowning. Although an individual autopsy found signs of possible strangulation. Gilbert had damage to her hyoid bone and her body was also found face up which is very uncommon in victims of drowning. Police still to this day have her cause of death as an accident.
Other Potential Victims:
- Tina Elizabeth Foglia (19)
Remains were dismembered and found in 1982 a few miles north of the Robert Moses Causeway which leads to both Gilgo and Oak Beach.
- Andre Isaac AKA Sugar Bear (25)
Professional drag queen disappeared in November of 2002. His torso was found in Queens in December of 2002. His head was later found in Suffolk County in January of 2003.
- Tanya Rush (39)
Last seen in June of 2008. Mother of 3, the African- American became a sex worker to support her drug addiction. Found dismembered in a suitcase in Bellmore, New York.
Alongside two further unidentified women known as Unidentified Woman Lattingtow and Cherries. Both dismembered and killed in a very similar fashion to ‘The Gilgo Four’.
Suspects and Persons of Interest:
Most likely to be a white male in his mid-twenties to mid-forties, who is very familiar with the south shore of Long Island. Many believed he had links to law enforcement which help him avoid detection for so long.
- John Bittrolf
Convicted of two other murders in the area and suspected of a third. Similarities to his known crimes and those of the LISK. Lived in Manorville, 3 miles from where the torsos of Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack were found.
- Joseph Brewer
Oak Beach resident and was also the last person to see Shannon Gilbert alive. He had hired her as an escort the night she disappeared.
- James Burke
In 2016 he was sentenced to 46 months for assault and conspiracy. He had attorneys on his side who attempted to cover up his crimes. An escort suspected Burke in the LISK cases, ‘Leanne; had been at a party in Oak Beach in 2011 where she witnessed Burke drag an Asian lady to the ground by her hair. At a later party, she engaged in sexual activity with him which she described the experience as extremely violent with Burke getting very angry when he couldn’t finish.
- Peter Hackett
Oak Beach resident and neighbour of Joseph Brewer. He rang the mother of Shannon, Mari Gilbert, claiming he ran a home for wayward girls. He later denied this call or for having any contact with Shannon. Investigator’s later confirmed he had made two calls to Mari Gilbert. Shannon’s remains were later found on the marshland near Hackett’s backyard. Her personal items were also found directly beyond his property in the marsh. Gilbert’s family filed a wrongful death suit claiming Hackett had administered Shannondrygs which led to her death. This was later dismissed.
- James Bissett
Two days after Gilbert’s remains were found, businessman James Bissett took his own life in his car at Mattituck Park. One of his businesses was the main supplier of burlap in the area. Many of the victims were found wrapped in burlap.
As of January 2020, these cases still remain unsolved. However, the new police commissioner of Suffolk County Rodney Harrison says he ‘will not rest’ until the serial killer or killers are brought to justice for the murder of at least 10 people.
