[Susan]

Autopsy finding: victim of Long Island serial killer likely strangled to death

Strangled ... Shannan Gilbert’s remains were found in December 2011. Picture: AP

A CRAIGSLIST prostitute believed to be one of 10 victims of an elusive serial killer in New York’s Long Island was likely strangled to death, a renowned forensic pathologist has revealed.

“There is insufficient information to determine a definite cause of death, but the autopsy findings are consistent with homicidal strangulation,” New York City’s former chief medical examiner, Michael Baden, wrote in his analysis of Shannon Gilbert’s demise.

The findings fly in the face of an initial autopsy performed by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, which listed Gilbert’s cause of death as “undetermined,” New York Post reports.

Burial site ... An aerial shot showing the area where Shannan Gilbert's remains were found. Picture: Kevin P. Coughlin/APSource:AP

Mr Baden was hired by Gilbert’s family to perform an independent autopsy on her skeletal remains, which were discovered in December 2011 along a 15-mile stretch on Long Island’s south shore around Gilgo Beach.

About a year earlier, police, accompanied by bloodhounds, stumbled across the first of 10 corpses — nearly all prostitutes and one infant girl — wrapped in burlap sacks in the same marshy area. Several of the hookers had been strangled.

Murder hunt ... Investigators search for Shannan Gilbert's body in 2011 in a marsh area just east of Oak Beach, New York. Picture: Kevin P. Coughlin/APSource:AP

In his report, Mr Baden noted that while most of Gilbert’s skeletal remains “appeared normal” with no trauma, her hyoid bone showed signs of “roughness at the margins” and her larynx was missing.

“These structures, the larynx and hyoid bone, are often fractured during homicidal strangulation,” Mr Baden said in his report.

Gilbert’s family lawyer, John Ray, elaborated, saying that the two horns at either end of her *U-shaped hyoid bone had been “broken off,” which would indicate strangulation.

Killing spree ... Other victims of the alleged serial killer include (clockwise from left) Melissa Barthelemy, Barbara Breidor, Kim Raffo, Amber Lynn Costello Bottom, Megan Waterman and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.Source:Supplied

Gilbert, 23, was last seen alive in the early hours of May 1, 2010, after she visited a client in Oak Beach, Long Island — about a mile from where her remains were later found.

She called a 911 operator while she was frantically running away to *report that someone was trying to kill her.

The investigation languished for years with the local authorities, prompting the FBI to announce recently that it was joining the probe. Police believe that one, or possibly two killers, were responsible for the murders — and *rumours abound that a cop might be the culprit.

This story was originally published by the New York Post


Source

[Susan]

There's a good clip about it here

http://www.aol.com/article/2016/02/1...ture/21312206/

[Susan]

This is an excellent article that was written about 10 days ago, and gives some backstory about the suspects in this case.

http://www.vice.com/read/ghosts-of-s...-serial-killer

[rob666]

Interesting story.

The killer is still out there.

[Sharon]

The thought of her calling 911 as she fled is terrible

[Spiffyfable]

Local Funeral Home is low on Sales.... Drumming up some business like a BOSS

[vagabond]

Originally Posted by slyksleevemuckyey ↗

This is an excellent article that was written about 10 days ago, and gives some backstory about the suspects in this case.

http://www.vice.com/read/ghosts-of-s...-serial-killer

Great read- thanks!

[K53]

Gone but still in our memories.

[Amy]

So now they know her client or pimp/friend was the killer, right? At least involved since it was them she said was trying to kill her and she was running from.

[Susan]

I don't think she ever mentioned who "they" were. From what I've read her words on that phone call, and to the neighbours whoms doors she banged on were "they're trying to kill me". They should be looking into that Dr Hackett weirdo. Even if he's not the killer, there's something not right. He phoned the girls mother and said he'd sedated her the day after she'd gone missing. Where did he get her number from? How did he know Shannan's name? Why would he make up that he had a home for wayward girls? He was very obviously involved in it, whichever way you look at it. But was he covering for himself, or someone else?