New York police hunt ‘serial killer’ of bodies on beach

The three bodies were found in undergrowth in an area of Long Island, just hundreds of metres away from a beach where the remains of four women were discovered in December last year.

All those women were in their twenties and had worked as prostitutes. A fifth body, which was found last week, has not yet been identified.

Police teams have been searching the area for the last week, in a search for clues.

Detectives said the women had all advertised their services on the information-sharing website Craigslist. At least two of them had recently stayed in budget hotels in the area.

“We could have a serial killer.” Commissioner Richard Dormer, Suffolk County Police

At the time, the Commissioner of Suffolk County police, Richard Dormer, said he believed it was the work of a serial killer, telling ABC news: “Four bodies found in the same location pretty much speaks for itself. It’s more than just a coincidence. We could have a serial killer.”

The latest bodies haven’t yet been formally linked – although they were discovered just a few hundred metres away, in dense undergrowth near a highway leading to the popular Jones Beach, about 45 miles from New York city.

The search was originally sparked by concern about 24 year old Shannen Gilbert, a prostitute from New Jersey who was last seen on 1 May last year at a beach nearby, after arranging to meet a client there.

A local resident has claimed a woman – believed to be Gilbert – came to his door at around 4.45am, pleading for help – but she ran away when he tried to call the police. The client she was due to meet is not thought to be a suspect.

None of the five bodies discovered before today were hers – and her disappearance still remains unsolved.