Crime & Safety

Shannan Gilbert's Cause of Death Undetermined

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner tells Gilbert's family that the results of the autopsy were inconclusive.

Yesterday, on the two-year anniversary of Shannan Gilbert's disappearance in Oak Beach, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner met with her family to report on the autopsy findings. The results were deemed "inconclusive," and the investigation into her death is still ongoing.

The search for New Jersey escort Gilbert, who disappeared in May 1, 2010, after meeting a client for sex on Oak Beach, led police to the discoveries of 10 sets of human remains, many believed to be the victims of a Long Island serial killer. Gilbert's body was found in a marshy area near Oak Beach last December.

Gilber's mother, Mari Gilbert, told NBC 4 New York, that she was disappointed by the meeting with the examiner: "I was hoping for something more substantial."

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According to the family's lawyer, John Ray, two bones were missing from the skeleton's neck, and they believe the 911 call Gilbert made that night was evidence that she was being pursued, and not a victim of an accidental drowning, as Suffolk County Police have suggested. Five of the bodies found on the barrier beach island have been identified as sex workers.

There are no suspects in the case, nor in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation.

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