Aerial Beach Search Reveals No More Bodies

Nassau County Police this morning conducted an aerial search of the TOBAY and Jones Beach area along Ocean Parkway but have not resumed the full-force effort that included 150 officers on Monday.

"We did a search earlier for suspicious or unusual sightings with negative results," a Nassau police spokesperson told Patch this morning.

According to Nassau County Police, officers from Suffolk and New York State troopers are on the search site today. Both lanes of Ocean Parkway between Nassau and Suffolk are open for travel.

During Monday's search, two more sets of bodies were located about one mile east of the Jones Beach water tower.

Both sets, which police believe are human remains, are undergoing forensic testing with the Nassau County medical examiner’s office. No confirmation has been issued on the remains as of this morning.

The latest discovery brings the current tally of remains found along the parkway to 10. Police beileve the deaths are the work of a serial killer

In mid January Suffolk Police identified the first four bodies found near Gilgo Beach this past December. The four young white women worked as Craigslist escorts and had been missing for various time periods. One had disappeared in 2007, and the most recent had been reported missing in September, 2010.

The second four sets found in Suffolk, discovered in the past two weeks, are still undergoing forensic testing and no identifications have been made.

“Forensics analysis is ongoing at this time and at the appropriate time, after the medical reports or an identification is made, the police will make further information available,” Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer told Patch regarding the media reports.

Suffolk police say there are no suspects or persons of interest. The bodies search effort, which began on December 11, 2010, as part of the missing persons case of 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert, who was last seen in Oak Beach on May 1, 2010, has been ongoing in the past four months.

“The canine units have been revisiting the scene continuously since December,” stated a Suffolk police spokesperson.

Suffolk police declined comment in regard to media reports that police do have a suspect or person of interest, and that the person likely has a law enforcement background. They will also not confirm that the first four sets of bodies were found wrapped in burlap bags, as claimed in published media reports.

“We never said that,” noted the spokesperson.