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Police Find Missing Prostitute's Bag, Phone On LI Beach
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 7, 2011
Modified Dec 7, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 7, 2011
Modified Dec 7, 2011
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Though Suffolk County police have still not found the body of Shannan Gilbert, the Jersey City prostitue whose disappearance in May 2010 eventually led to the discovery of a Long Island serial killer's dumping ground, they have finally made some progress in her case. Searching the area around Gilgo Beach the last two-and-a-half days police say they've recovered a pocketbook that may be Gilbert's, along with a pair of jeans, shoes and a cellphone. Other unidentified items were also found, though not Gilbert herself.
"We believe that Shannan Gilbert ran into that area the night she disappeared," Suffolk County Richard Dormer said at a news conference. "Looking at the terrain, it's very easy to get [stuck]...and not be able to get out of there." Because of warm weather and low tides police were able to restart their search and will keep looking for Gilbert ("This is not a result of any new tip," Stuart Cameron, commanding officer of the Suffolk police special patrol bureau, said). Police believe "she's in there someplace," Dormer said.
Apparently the working theory among the police now is that the 24-year-old Gilbert, who could not swim, "wandered off that day into a tidal area and may have drowned," a source told Newsday.
"At some point they want me to identify [the bag]," Shannan's mother, Mari Gilbert, told The Post. "There are some things in the bag, but I’m not sure what they are. I know Shannan did not have a driver's icense or ID card—but she had other cards with her name on it."
Meanwhile, Michael Pak, the man who drove Gilbert to Oak Beach to see a john is presumably quite relieved that the bag was found with the woman's stuff still in it. Especially considering how strange he came off in the recent A&E documentary on the Long Island killer (while she was freaking out moments before she went missing he says he tried to ascertain her state of mind by asking...if she'd ever seen Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas). Before anything of Gilbert's had been identified Pak told the Post, "It's a big clue because if her cell phone or her wallet is still in her purse, then she probably fell into the water by herself. But if those things are missing, that might mean foul play."
Tagged
gilgo beach
gilgo state beach
long island
long island serial killer
serial killer
shannan gilbert
shannon gilbert
suffolk county
Garth Johnston
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