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missmcspooks · 1 year

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UNSOLVED But Not Forgotten: The Long Island Serial Killer

I decided to write about a case that’s always been heavy on my mind, and that hits close to home. Literally. Being born and raised in Long Island, New York, and not living far from where these tragedies took place, makes me really wish that we could solve this horrible mystery someday, and bring justice to all these victims, and closure to their loved ones.

The Long Island Serial Killer (LISK), also known as the Gilgo Beach Killer, the Manorville Butcher, and the Craigslist Ripper. Over the timespan of 26 years, an unidentified killer murdered between 10-18 people within the years of 1996 and 2011, before bodies just stopped showing up. It’s unclear if the killer is a man or a woman, but considering most of the victims are women who happened to be sex workers, it’s assumed the killer is a man. Police didn’t first start discovering bodies until December 11th, 2010, while searching for a missing woman named Shannan Gilbert. It was then when they found her remains, along with the remains of multiple other women all along the South Shore of both Suffolk and Nassau county.

For a long time it was speculated that there were multiple killers dropping bodies around these areas, but on November 29th, 2011, police stated that they believe only one person is responsible for all of the murders, considering the common characteristics in which the remains were left, and forensic evidence related to the remains. Majority of the bodies were not found with all limbs intact, and their remains were often scattered in different areas, probably to make it harder for police to identify the victims. In June of 2011, police announced a $25,000 reward for anyone who can give them information leading to the arrest of Long Island serial murderers. As of 2023, all of the murders remain unsolved.

There were very few suspects, but ultimately were found to be unrelated to the murders. Additionally, there was new evidence brought to light in January of 2020, an image of a belt that was found at one of the crime scenes. The belt was made of black leather, and had the letters “HM” or “WH” labeled on the belt. Police believe that the belt belonged to the killer, and wasn’t in the possession of any of the victims. Police decided against telling the public the evidentiary value of the item, and wouldn’t release where it was exactly found. They also stated that new scientific evidence was also being used in the investigation, along with launching a website called gilgonews.com, enabling the department to release news and receive tips regarding the case.

VICTIMS AND THE TIMELINE OF WHEN THEY WERE FOUND

February 1st, 1982: Tina Foglia (19) *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

Remains were found in three separate garbage bags next to the Southern State Parkway. The DNA of an unknown man was found on the bags.

April 20th, 1996: Fire Island Jane Doe

Two female legs wrapped in a plastic bag were found on the bayside shore of Fire Island. The victim's skull was later discovered on April 11th, 2011, west of Tobay Beach in Nassau county. The two sets of remains were linked by DNA.

June 28th, 1997: Peaches

The dismembered torso of a woman was found in Hempstead Lake State Park. She was given the nickname Peaches due to a tattoo of a heart shaped peach on her left breast.

In 2011, police found skeletal remains in a plastic bag, near Jones Beach State Park, and was identified as being the remains of Peaches.

November 19th, 2000: Manorville Jane Doe

The torso of a woman was discovered by hitchhikers in the Long Island Pine Barrens in Manorville. The torso was found wrapped in garbage bags and were found in the woods near Halsey Manor Road.

On April 4th, 2011, a skull, a pair of hands, and a right foot, were found in a plastic bag near Ocean Parkway on Gilgo Beach. They were linked by DNA to the Manorville Jane Doe.

In May of 2020, it was announced that the Manorville Jane Doe was actually a woman named Valerie Mack (24).

November 23, 2000: *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

Hunters found the body of a white or Hispanic man in the woods off the eastbound side of the Long Island Expressway (LIE) near Exit 68 in North Shirley. The victim had black hair and was wearing blue-and-white striped GAP boxer shorts. His age was estimated to be between 30 and 45. He was 5'6" to 6 feet tall and weighed 130-150 pounds. A surgical staple was noted embedded in his chin. He had multiple traumatic injuries, including a crushed larynx, implying he was strangle

July 26th, 2011: Jessica Taylor (20)

A dismembered torso, missing it’s head and hands, were discovered in Manorville, with a tattoo on her back which was mutilated. Her identity was confirmed 7 months later after releasing images of the tattoo.

On May 9, 2011, a skull, a pair of hands, and a forearm found on March 29 at Gilgo Beach were matched to Jessica Taylor

November 10th, 2003: *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

A badly decomposed body was found in Manorville, 400 yards south of the Long Island Expressway, near Toppings Path. A hunter discovered the body in a wooded area about three miles east of the woods where the bodies of Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack had been dumped. Autopsy results were inconclusive. The victim was Caucasian, 35 to 50 years old, about 5'6" and had died up to four months earlier.

The victim was identified in 2015, but the family asked authorities not to release his name. The case remains an active homicide investigation.

March 3rd, 2007: Cherries *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

A suitcase containing the dismembered torso of an unidentified Hispanic or light-skinned African-American female washed up on a beach at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck. A few weeks later her legs washed up in different areas of Long Island. A stab wound was noted on the torso. She had a tattoo of two cherries on her right breast. Never identified, she is referred to as "Cherries" by investigators.

July 9th, 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes (25)

was last seen in her room at the Super 8 Hotel in midtown Manhattan. She had left her home in Norwich, CT to meet a client she had booked through Craigslist. She was reported missing on July 14, 2007. Maureen's body would be found December 13, 2010 next to Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. She had been strangled.

June 23rd, 2008: Tanya Rush (39) *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

She was last seen around 3 a.m. walking toward a subway station in Brooklyn. Her dismembered body was discovered on June 27, 2008 in Bellmore crammed inside a suitcase.

July 12th, 2009: Melissa Barthelemy (24)

Melissa was last seen outside her apartment on Underhill Avenue in the Bronx. She had arranged for a $1,000 date with a client the next night somewhere on Long Island. After her disappearance, her sister received several phone calls from a man using Melissa's cell phone and claiming to be her killer.

Melissa's body was discovered December 11, 2010 beside Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Her cause of death was strangulation.

May 1st, 2010: Shannan Gilbert (23) *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

She disappeared after leaving a client's house in Oak Beach. Shannan called 911 and claimed people were trying to kill her. She fled from the house and was last seen banging on doors of homes in the neighborhood while screaming for help. After 19 months of searching, her body was discovered December 13, 2011 in an Oak Beach marsh.

June 6th, 2010: Megan Waterman (22)

She was last seen in Hauppauge, NY walking toward a nearby convenience store. She had been staying in a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge and was captured by a security camera walking out of the hotel at around 1:30 in the morning. Megan's body was discovered on December 13th, 2010, next to Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach. She had been strangled.

September 2nd, 2010: Amber Lynn Costello (27)

She was last seen by her roommate leaving her home in North Babylon to meet a client. The client had called three or four times and offered Amber $1,500 for her services. Police discovered Amber's body on December 13, 2010, beside Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. She had been strangled.

April 4th, 2011: Baby Doe

An unidentified female toddler referred to as "Baby Doe." She was found wrapped in a blanket with no apparent signs of trauma. She was later identified as being the daughter of Peaches, linked by DNA.

February 7th, 2012: *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

Skeletal remains are discovered in the woods in Manorville, off North Street and west of Wading River Road. The body was wrapped in bed sheets, a plastic bag, and duct tape. Police determined the victim was a male and estimated the body had been there at least five years.

January 23rd, 2013: *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

The skeletal remains of a woman were discovered in a garbage bag along the shore in Lattingtown, NY. The victim was wearing a 24-karat gold pink pendant, which may be a reference to "The Year of the Pig" in some Asian cultures.

March 16th, 2011: Natasha Jugo *NOT OFFICIALLY LINKED*

She was last seen leaving her home in Queens Village, NY. Her car was found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach the next day. Her wallet, ID, and some of her clothing were found in the sand. On June 24, 2013, Jugo's body washed up on Gilgo Beach about a mile from where her car was found in March.

WAS TINA FOGLIA THE FIRST VICTIM OF THE LISK? OR WAS HER CASE COMPLETELY UNRELATED?

As you probably noticed, Tina Foglia (19) was the very first person on the victims list. However, her murder took place twelve years before the killing spree started. Many speculations went around regarding this theory, due to the manner of which her body was disposed of, and that it wasn’t too far away from where the bodies of the other victims were found. However, police stated that although it’s possible that the murder could be linked, it’s unlikely that it is, and they’re not pursuing it as an active route in their investigation. For a long time I assumed that the murder had to have been linked. I thought that maybe the killer had just started out, and was afraid of what happened and took a long break. Sort of like what Jeffrey Dahmer did after he killed his very first victim. Or perhaps he had killed other women, but their remains were just never found. However, after looking deeper into the evidence, I started to question my assumption. Primarily due to two reasons: Who she was as a person, and how her remains were discarded.

The Long Island Serial Killer primarily targeted sex workers, and from our knowledge from her family and friends, Tina was not participating in sex work. She was just a very outgoing and energetic teenager who loved the music scene, and always went to concerts, especially at a big concert venue called Hammerheads. However, she was known to leave bars and clubs with strangers somewhat often, as she was a very trusting person who wanted to see the good in everyone. In regards to her remains, her remains were indeed dismembered, but they were all put into separate bags that were right next to each other, in the exact same area. The LISK clearly disposed of the victims' remains by discarding them all in different areas, most likely to refrain from their identities being discovered. The person who discarded Tina’s remains clearly didn’t care about her identity being discovered.

Again, if this was the LISK, maybe since she was their first victim, he didn’t really think anything through properly, and again, could’ve been experimenting with their signature or MO. Police are still waiting for a match to come up in the database regarding the DNA that was left on the garbage bags. One last piece of information was that, according to Tina’s sister, she had met a man at Hammerheads who claimed to have been a doctor. She didn’t tell anyone his name, but said that she went on multiple dates with him. It’s possible that she could have gone home with this man, or someone else, but police think that whoever had killed her must’ve had a medical background due to the very precise way that she was dismembered. It was like they used a tool, such as a knife or some kind of medical instrument, opposed to a hatchet or an axe. Basically, it was done in such a way that a normal person most likely couldn’t have done it. Perhaps the man could’ve been a butcher. I’m hoping that one day Tina’s mystery will be solved, so her loved ones could finally get the closure that they deserve.

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