Police: Gilgo Remains ID Expected Shortly

The discovery of a fifth set of human remains on Gilgo Beach Tuesday night may provide clues into the investigation of the remains of four female victims found about one mile away in December, 2010, according to Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer.

The remains are undergoing forensic testing at the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office and police expect results “shortly," said Dormer.

Police would not state whether the remains were male or female or if they suspected the body was Shannon Gilbert, a 24-year-old New Jersey woman who went missing in Oak Beach last May.

Police plan to return to the Oak Beach/Gilgo Beach/Cedar Beach area Monday morning and embark on what Dormer said will be an “extensive” search that will extend all the way west to the border of Nassau County.

“We have had canine units continually searching the area for the past three months and never abandoned the search,” Dormer said at a press conference this afternoon at police headquarters in Yaphank.

“This [the latest remains discovery] is an unfortunate occurrence as someone has lost his or her life,” he added.

The discovery was made as members of the Suffolk County Police Department Homicide Section, Canine Section, Marine Bureau and Aviation Bureau resumed the search for Gilbert Tuesday late afternoon in the marsh and wooded areas in Oak Beach and along Ocean Parkway in Babylon.

Gilbert, a Craigslist escort, has been missing since May 1, 2010 after reportedly visiting a client in Oak Beach.

Searching has been difficult due to the rugged terrain, according to police. A SCPD officer spotted the remains discovered Tuesday night as he drove slowly along the parkway, explained Dormer.

“Something caught his attention and he was extremely observant and did a great job,” said the commissioner, noting that the police did a “thorough” search of the same area late in 2010 after the first four sets of remains were found.

“It is possible to miss something in this kind of search. Even the canines have a tough time getting through and searching the undergrowth in that area,” said Dormer. He added that the special task force established in January to investigate the remains found is “making progress.”