Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Craigslist Ripper” - The Long Island Serial Killer

Episode Date: December 3, 2018

Ten bodies were found on Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in Long Island in 2010 all linked to one person. The killer primarily targeted sex workers who charged about $200 an hour via Craigslist. The Long Island Serial Killer’s murders go as far back as 1982, yet he still hasn’t been caught.  Sponsors! Audible - Evil Has A Name: Only on Audible. Listen now at Audible dot com slash EvilKillers or text EvilKillers to 500 500.  Caffé Monster - Available in Mocha, Vanilla and Salted Caramel. Caffé Monster: Chill it down, Shake it up, Enjoy! Hunt A Killer - Visit HuntAKiller.com/KILLERS for 10% off your first box.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber. It's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So, if you're hiring, I've got news for you.

You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes, days. Just use ZipRecruiter. Try for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list. They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are. Cut through the standard and get to the standouts. ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.

And now, you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ZipRecruiter. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the Lonely Hearts Killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers.

That's Shopify.com slash killers. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book-to-screen favorites you've already read twice. Off-campus, L. Every year after, The Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting.

Watch only on Prime. Due to the graphic nature of these killers' crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. Travel east of New York City's five boroughs, and you'll end up at the beach, Gilgo Beach, Oak Beach, and Jones Beach, situated on the barrier islands off the southern coast of Long Island. These beaches are connected by Ocean Parkway, a sprawling highway. But in 2010, the highway linked more. than just the beaches. It became a dumping ground for a mysterious killer.

Police looking into the disappearance of a New Jersey prostitute on Long Island a year and a half ago say they found her purse with photo ID inside and her jeans. They haven't found Shannon Gilbert. The current theory is that she drowned while running away from something, but in the year they've been looking for her, they have found the remains of 10 people dumped in the brambles off a beach road some 50 miles east of New York City. Suffolk County Police Chief Richard Dormer says investigators think all of the killings dating back as far as far as far as far as as 1996 are tied to one person they have no suspect yet. Warren Levinson, New York.

The Long Island Gilgo Killer is suspected to have murdered between 10 and 16 people, possibly as far back as 1982. The identity of the killer is still unknown. He's free to walk the beaches of Ocean Parkway, revisiting the bodies that lie beneath. Hi, I'm Greg Polson, and this is serial killers. Today we're going to take a deep dive into the Long Island Gilgo Beach serial killer, who is the suspected murderer of at least 10 to 16 people.

I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. Many of you have been asking us how you can support the podcast. If you enjoy the show, one of the best ways to help us is to leave a five-star review wherever you listen to podcasts. While you're there, you can listen to previous episodes of serial killers, as well as parcasts, other podcasts. A new episode comes out every Monday. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and on Twitter at Parcast Network

or in our website, parkast.com. The case of the Long Island Gilgo Killer remains unsolved to this day. The serial killer, or possibly killers, buried the bodies of the victims along Ocean Parkway, some inside burlap sacks. Police determined that the victims had likely been. killed elsewhere, then dumped near Ocean Parkway post-mortem. For some reason, the killer primarily targeted sex workers who charged about $200 an hour for sex via Craigslist.

Vanessa's not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for the show. Thanks, Greg. The targeting of sex workers is not out of the ordinary. According to a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, active sex workers are 18 times more likely to be murdered than other women. Northeast University criminology professor Jack Levin told ABC News in 2011 that sex workers were the most common murder victims. He said, quote, they get right in the car with a killer. Families are slow to file missing

person reports, and there's little pressure on police to solve the case because to them it's a criminal killing a criminal, end quote. The Gilgo killer is an active serial killer, and the murderer has still not been identified or arrested. Believe it or not, active serial killers are actually very common. According to Scientific American, the FBI is estimated that there are between 25 and 50 serial killers operating throughout the U.S. at any given time. That alone makes this case an interesting one to examine. There have been five suspects in the case so far, but no convictions, and endless unanswered questions. To Compound matters, there's no definitive evidence to prove that all of the victims were murdered by the same person.

There could be multiple killers at large in the area. And there's no telling where or when this killer may strike next. This week will examine how the public first learned about the Long Island Gilgo Beach serial killer and the backgrounds of his or her victims. And next week, we'll take a look at a list of suspected victims in the case, as well as recent suspects who have emerged. The public first learned about the Long Island Gilgo Beach Killer through 24-year-old sex worker Shannon Gilbert. She lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, and began taking sex work clients after struggling to work minimum wage jobs. She graduated high school early at age 16 and enrolled in nursing classes. Gilbert dropped out of college after a year and tried working at a restaurant, a senior center, and as a secretary at a school. But in 2010, she turned to sex work and started soliciting clients through the website Craigslist.

On May 1, 2010, she visited the home of a first-time client named Joseph Brewer. He was a 45-year-old former financial advisor who lived in a gated community in Oak Beach. Gilbert accepted the gig in the hopes of using the money to pay for a birthday gift for her mother, Mari. Gilbert and Mari were close, although that wasn't always the case. Throughout Gilbert's childhood, she and her mother had a strained relationship that led to Gilbert mostly growing up in the upstate New York foster care system. Her mother claimed that Gilbert's rebellious nature, her diagnosed bipolar disorder, and her apparent eating disorder, made her daughter difficult to care for. Doctors diagnosed Gilbert with bipolar disorder at age 12, but she refused to take her medication because she didn't like the side effects. though it's unclear which medication Gilbert was prescribed.

WebMD states that most bipolar disorder medications cause nausea, tremors, hair loss, and interference with birth control. However, Mari's friends have said that she sent Gilbert into foster care because her daughter didn't get along with one of Mari's boyfriends. Gilbert and her mother rarely saw eye to eye. Mari wanted Gilbert to stop accepting sex work via Craigslist, but Gilbert liked using the cash-finding. flow for lavish gifts. This was also the case on the night of May 1st 2010. Mari told her daughter that a

visit from her would be a good enough gift, and she tried to convince her daughter not to work at Brewer's house that night. Michael Pack, Gilbert's hired driver, took her to Brewer's home around 2 a.m. Gilbert had worked with Pack several times before. She always hired a driver for her jobs to provide security. Some sources state that Brewer had been having a party that night, but others say that Gilbert had been at his home alone. Pax stayed in his SUV and played poker on his cell phone. The details of what happened next come from a 911 call that Gilbert placed from the house on her cell phone around 5 a.m. In a 2013 interview with CBS's 48 hours, former Suffolk County Chief of Detectives Dominic Veroni said the following about the 9th.

911 call. Quote, she's saying, there's someone after me, there's someone after me. It's a girl who clearly believes she's in harm's way, end quote. Veroni also pointed out that during the phone call, the 911 operator could hear two male voices in the background, Brewer and Pack. In the 911 call, Brewer can be heard in the background attempting to get Gilbert to leave his home. Veroni said, quote, he either approaches her or touches her. You hear her scream out. end quote. While Gilbert remained on the phone, she ran to the nearby home of Gus Coletti. She kept saying, help me, help me. Coletti also called 911, but Gilbert took off running to several other nearby homes in the area as PAC chased after her to get her back to the car. During the call,

she never revealed who or what was causing her to run away and plea for help. The call went dead after 23 minutes. When police arrived, they were unable to locate Gilbert. She was gone. Police briefly considered Brewer, Gilbert's client, as a suspect in her disappearance. He had solicited the services of many sex workers on Craigslist, although at this point in time, it's unknown whether any of those other sex workers went missing as well. On April 9, 2011, Brewer told the New York Daily News that he believed Gilbert was still alive. He said, quote, I really do believe she's alive.

What did she do? just drop dead walking down the road? End quote. Brewer was cleared of all suspicion after police questioned him and searched his home. They didn't find any evidence linking him to Gilbert's disappearance

or possible death. Two days after the disappearance, Gilbert's mom, Mari, claimed to receive a phone call from Brewer's neighbor, Dr. Peter Hackett. Hackett often allegedly embellished the truth and tried to insert himself

into major news stories. He had once worked for Suffolk County as a police surgeon. In 1996, Hackett claimed to be an investigator for the crash of TWA Flight 800 to the local press, embarrassing his colleagues. Years later, Suffolk County fired Hackett for misusing his work cell phone and claiming to be at work when he was not there. Hackett even called Mari, claiming that he ran a home for wayward girls and that he drugged Gilbert with sedatives against her will on the morning of her disappearance. It's unclear as to why he would say, such an odd, horrible thing. But nevertheless, he did. Hackett denied making this phone call,

or these claims, until phone records showed that he had, in fact, made two phone calls to Mari. The phone calls caused Hackett to become a suspect in Gilbert's disappearance. Hackett denied any responsibility for Gilbert's disappearance in two letters to the CBS series 48 hours. Hackett claimed that Gilbert's boyfriend and PAC urged him to call Mari. He wrote in one letter, quote, these calls were over a year ago now, and exact content is difficult to remember, but at no time during my conversations with Shannon's friends or family, did I suggest I had ever met her or render medical care of any sort to her, end quote. Police searched Hackett's home, boat, and car. During questioning, Suffolk County Police

also found that Hackett's wife, son, and daughter were home at the time Hackett had claimed to give Gilbert medication to calm her nerves. And to grieve. that this hadn't happened. There seemed to be no evidence that Hackett had actually druged Gilbert, or even seen her as he said he did. Former chief of detectives Dominic Veroni quickly confirmed to CBS's 48 hours that Hackett, while annoying, was not a suspect.

Veroni said, quote, he's an individual who likes to get involved. Some call him a storyteller and an exaggerator. We certainly believe that he may have called to offer his assistance. end quote. Speculation about Gilbert's disappearance received comprehensive coverage by New York City media outlets

throughout 2010. Mari Gilbert spoke out publicly many times to criticize law enforcement search for her daughter, which did not yield results. But soon, one police officer and his dog would change the case completely. The search for the missing 24-year-old

Shannon Gilbert continued into the summer months of 2010. In June, Soon, the Suffolk County Police Missing Persons Bureau soon enlisted the help of veteran officer John Malia. 59-year-old Malia had a reputation for being able to find the most elusive escaped prisoners and murder victims. He also had a legendary canine partner, Blue, a seven-year-old German Shepherd. Malia seemed confident that Gilbert's body could be found. He told the New York Times in 2011, quote,

I assumed we would find her. I assumed she was dead. Nobody had a clue, end quote. For the rest of the summer, Malia and Blue searched the private gated community in Oak Beach, where Gilbert was last seen. In an interview with the New York Times, Inspector Stuart K. Cameron, commander of the Suffolk Department's Special Patrol Bureau, said, When he's tracking, he's relentless. He'll work and work and work. And sure enough, Malia pounded the pavement, even working. in his off hours. Summer changed to fall, and Malia kept searching. He expanded the search along Ocean Parkway, down possible paths Gilbert could have run.

The search proved fruitless, but still, Malia persisted. Then on December 11, 2010, he and Blue found more than they ever could have imagined. They had headed westward, sticking close to the road's shoulder. According to the New York Times, Malia had recalled FBI data stated that murder victims' bodies are most often dumped about 30 feet from a road. The vegetation along Ocean Parkway was also very thick, and they needed to proceed carefully. On past searches, Blue had become scratched up, and Malia got poison ivy. At around 3 p.m. on December 11, 2010, Malia noticed Blue's tail wagging.

Blue was fixated on something. He had picked up the scent of death. Melia walked over. He saw what Blue was trapped. It was a burlap sack. Malia reached down to open the sack and sighed in disappointment. It was the worst part of a job well done, finding an entire human skeleton. We'll learn more about this human skeleton after a quick break. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptide may be able to help.

Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection. Zephound contains terseptide and should not be used with other terseptide-containing products

or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems.

Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia if you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulfonel urea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99 or visit Zepbounds.lily.com. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th.

the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at yamava Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. U.N.? must be 21 to enter. Now, back to the story. On the morning of December 13th, 2010,

homicide detectives descended on the area, known as Gilgo Beach, to investigate the skeleton found by Officer John Mali and Blue the police dog. Police dogs that search for corpses like Blue are literally trained to smell death. According to the Guardian, cadaver dogs learn to identify the odor

of decomposing human flesh, blood, and bone. A 2015 report stated that handlers even need to train cadaver dogs to associate the smell of death with their own toys as part of the training. As the police combed Gilgo Beach, Malia returned to offer assistance. When they arrived, Malia left blue inside his car for a bit, and he searched some of the area alone.

The weather that day was blustery and chilly, typical of a New York winter, but Malia didn't mind. He told the New York Times, quote, it couldn't have been colder and windier. You didn't feel any of that. The adrenaline just took over, end quote. A few hours later, Malia found another burlap sack located 500 feet from where the first body was found. inside the sack was a body. As police descended on the second corpse, Malia brought Blue onto the scene to continue searching. Around 1 p.m., Malia and Blue found an additional two bodies in burlap, bringing the body count to four.

These four bodies became known as the Gilgo Four. Police thought one of the victims was sure to be Gilbert. However, upon further examination, that wasn't the case. Gilbert was still missing, creating an even larger puzzle for police. Police combed the area for months. On March 29, 2011, another set of human remains were found in the bushes along Ocean Parkway, three-quarters of a mile east of where the Gilgo Four were discovered. The body count was up to five, and climbing.

A few weeks later, on April 4, 2011, three more bodies were found in Burlap along Ocean Parkway, bringing the total number of bodies to eight. But none of these bodies were identified as Gilbert. At the time, former FBI agent Brad Garrett told ABC News that the eight victims were likely killed by the same person. He said, quote, given the volume of bodies in one location, it tells me the killer is very familiar with this stretch of road. He grew up there, works there, lives there, or has a reason to frequent the area,

and quote. Garrett also theorized that the burlap sacks used to wrap the victims could indicate what the killer did for a living. Garrett told ABC News that he'd advise investigators to not assume that the killer was a blue-collar transient type. Garrett believed that the killer could be married, possibly have kids, and probably functioned well in society. He hid a very dark side of his personality.

After the first eight bodies were discovered, police expanded their search area and headed into nearby Nassau County. A few days later on April 11, 2011, police uncovered the bones and jewelry of a deceased woman near the Jones Beach Water Tower, as well as the skull belonging to another woman located west of Toby Beach. The body count rose to 10. These remains did not belong to Gilbert either.

Also, at this point, unnamed police sources told ABC News that they suspected the victims could have been killed by two or three separate killers. At the time, then Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer believed that Gilbert's case wasn't related to the victims that had been found and did not have the same killer. He offered the theory that Gilbert may have been under the influence of drugs, panicked, got lost and accidentally drowned in the nearby marsh. She traveled at least a half a mile, three quarters of a mile, on foot.

through that muck, mud, brambles, thick area, and it would be very easy to get exhausted and fall down and not be able to move any further. But Suffolk County Police continued searching for Gilbert. On December 7, 2011, a year and a half after her disappearance, Gilbert's purse, photo ID, jeans, shoes, and cell phone were found in the marshland north of the Oak Beach neighborhood, where she was last seen.

This discovery intensified the, search around the marshland. A few days later, on December 13th, police found another set of human remains in a swampy marshland near Oak Beach, and this time, they belonged to Gilbert. At the time, Commissioner Dormer told the press that police still believed Gilbert had drowned. He said, quote, if it is her, it solidifies the theory that she was trying to make it to the parkway, and we are not changing the theory that she drowned. On December 15th, 2011, two days after Gilbert's body was found, Long Island Aquarium owner James Bissett died in an apparent suicide. The public speculated that he was allegedly a person of interest in Gilbert's case, as well as the Gilgo Beach murders.

He may have even had access to burlap. But investigators later confirmed that Bissett had no connection to any of the deaths. It's still unclear today whether the other victims had been killed by a serial killer or by several different murderers. But on November 30th, 2011, Dormer told NBC's New York affiliate that Suffolk County Police believed that a single person killed all 10 victims found along Ocean Parkway. In the time since the 10 bodies were found in 2011, police have been able to identify most of them by name. Details about the background of the victims have provided some clues about the Long Island Gilgo Beach serial killer. After identifying an investigation,

investigating each of the Gilgo four, police realized the victims had shared several characteristics in common with Gilbert. All four bodies were female sex workers who solicited clients on Craigslist. Of the ten total victims, police have been able to identify five by name. We're going to jump back in time a little bit to examine the identities and backgrounds of the ten bodies found in and around Gilgo Beach. But we'll keep it as clear as possible. Police have officially linked these victims to whoever the Long Island Gilgo Beach killer or killers might be. We'll be talking about the 10 victims in the order that their bodies were found by police, starting with 25-year-old Maureen Brainerd Barnes.

She was one of the Gilgo Four, among the first bodies found in December 2010. Brainerd Barnes was last seen alive on July 9, 2007, after departing on a trip from Norwich, Connecticut to New York City. had her first child, Caitlin, at age 16, and got married to the child's father, Jason Brainerd Barnes, in 1999. They divorced in 2001. She then moved in with her little sister, Missy, in Groton, Connecticut. Brainerd Barnes held many different jobs, card dealer at Foxwoods Casino, Pizza Delivery Person, and supermarket cashier. By 2003, Brainerd Barnes got bored of her short-term jobs and set her sights on becoming a rapper. While promoting her music via MySpace, Brainerd Barnes noticed modeling ads

and decided to create a modeling portfolio on modelmayhem.com. She got her friend to take tasteful, clothed photos of herself, and she uploaded them to the site. Her profile page attracted many messages from nude modeling agencies and escort services. Sending pornographic and escort service-related links are against model mayhem terms of service. Over the years, though, the website has been investigated in the disappearances of several models and sued over several sexual assault allegations. But in 2003, Brainerd Barnes became fascinated with the messages she received through the modeling site,

mainly by the dollar signs in them. Through Google, she realized how much someone could make working with webcams, as well as being a sex worker through an escort service. Brainer Barnes didn't like that idea at first. she didn't want to give a cut of her hard-earned money to anyone else. But soon, she stumbled upon Craigslist and saw that sex workers selling their services through the site kept 100% of the profits.

She began working as a sex worker through Craigslist, using the name Marie. In 2006, Brainerd Barnes had another child, a son. There's no indication of who the father was, but he did pay for an apartment for Braynard Barnes and her children. In December 2006, Brainerd Barnes got a job as a seasonal telemarketer for Atlantic Security in Groton, Connecticut. But by January 2007, with the holidays over, Braynard Barnes was let go from the job and turned to Craigslist sex work once again. Atlantic Security also laid off her colleague Sarah Carnes, who Braynard Barnes eventually hired to be her driver for a gig.

Carnes was the last person to see Braynard Barnes alive on July 9, 2007. Brainer Barnes had checked into a Super 8 motel, then vanished. A few sources claim she checked out before she disappeared, but that remains unconfirmed. A few days after Brainerd Barnes disappeared, Carnes received a suspicious phone call from a blocked number. She told People magazine in an interview that the person on the other line said that Braynard Barnes was, quote, at a whorehouse in Queens. Karns said, quote, I told him she would never go. for that because she was independent. He goes, well, that's where I saw her, and he described her to a T to me, end quote. Carnes noted in the same interview that the male voice on the other

end of the line didn't have any characteristic accent of the area. She noted that he did not have a New York, Boston, or Maine accent. Carnes told people, quote, he accentuated his S's and his T's. He spoke properly, end quote. This could have been a prank phone call or a message from Brainerd Barnes killer. It might seem insane that the killer or killers would place a call in risk getting caught, but serial killers often enjoy taunting police because it adds to the thrill.

The murder itself isn't enough because many serial killers crave notoriety. They're willing to risk getting caught to communicate with the public and the press. According to a 2002 study in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, some serial killers may even, even wish to get caught, and they crave a large amount of power or control. The killer's

communication with the public often leave behind key clues that can be used to find them, or red herrings that help them disappear. For instance, the Zodiac killer wrote the names and dates of his victims on a car door in the 1960s, which helped the police investigation. But in the case of the BTK killer in the 1970s, the murderer's communication with police actually misdirected the investigation for months. The next murder investigated in the Long Island Gilgo Beach Killer case was that of 24-year-old sex worker Melissa Bartholomey.

She went missing on July 10, 2009. She was last seen sitting on a curb outside of her Bronx basement, which she shared with her five cats. Bartholomey sought sex work clients via Craigslist in 2000. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and she attended the Continental Beauty School in Buffalo. After briefly working at Supercuts, 21-year-old Bartholomey and her boyfriend, Jordan, moved to the Bronx in 2006. A man named Johnny Terry had offered her a job in New York City, cutting hair, and had secured her lodging. Terry also went by the nickname Blaze. Soon Bartholome and Jordan split, and she became romantically involved with Terry.

They had an on-again, off-again relationship. There were also rumors that Terry was Bartholomey's pimp. She advertised her sexual services on Craigslist, as well as through an escort service called James Bond Entertainment, where she was known as Chloe. On the night of July 10, 2009, Bartholomey had a sex-working gig with a client. Afterwards, Bartholomey deposited around $900 into her bank account. She then disappeared from the curb.

The next time she was seen, she was being pulled out of a burlap sack along Ocean Parkway. After she disappeared, Terry called Bartholomey on her cell phone several times, but all the calls went to her voicemail. He was worried. Even when they had broken up, they always checked in with one another regularly. A few days later, he attempted to report her missing, but claimed to be rejected by police. Even so, Terry became the primary suspect in Bartholome's sudden disappearance.

Terry claimed that the police were watching and following him. One week after Bartholomey's disappearance, her little sister, Amanda, received a phone call from Bartholomey's phone. Amanda picked up. She described the voice on the other end, sounding like an older white male. He asked her if she was Bartholomey's little sister, then called her and Bartholomey vulgar names and insulted them.

The call ended in under three minutes. The short phone calls continued to come. once a week for about a month. Police traced the calls to cellular towers in crowded locations, such as Times Square and Madison Square Garden, but were unable to trace the source beyond that. The final call occurred on August 26, 2009.

The man said he had killed Bartholomey. Soon, Terry started to receive taunting phone calls as well. He claimed that the caller threatened to kill him. Terry received these calls 30 times over. the next eight months. He said, quote, he was threatening me. Most of the time he seemed to be drunk. He knew who I was.

He knew I had tattoos on my back. Maybe he felt she was doing something he didn't like, end quote. Terry had a point. Perhaps the killer targeted sex workers because he felt what they were doing was wrong and decided to take justice into his own hands. We'll find out who else was at the receiving end of this killer's self-righteousness

after a quick break. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the level, everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless

for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required.

Intro rate first three months only, then full-price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. terms at mintmobile.com. Now, back to the story. It was also unclear as to what exactly happened to a 22-year-old sex worker Megan Waterman. At the time, Waterman had been sharing a hotel room with her boyfriend, Akeem Cruz, at a holiday and express in Hoppog, Long Island. She was last seen alive on a security camera. The surveillance footage showed her leaving the room at 1.30 a.m. to meet the Craigslist client. She was one of the bodies found on Ocean Parkway in December 2010.

Waterman grew up in Scarborough, Maine, with her grandmother Muriel. She had a strained relationship with her mother, Lorraine Ella. Muriel had reported Ella to the state several times for being an unfit mother. At one point, Muriel gave Ella an ultimatum to sign over custody of Waterman and her siblings to retain visitation rights. Ella accepted the offer against her lawyer's advice. In 2005, Waterman stopped attending school at age 17 and had several run-ins with the law. Police arrested Waterman for possession of a marijuana pipe in June, and she was sent to rehab. She had also been busted for stalking, public intoxication, and shoplifting. Waterman soon found out she was pregnant from a one-night stand she had had with a 32-year-old DJ in a club bathroom. During her

pregnancy, Waterman lived with Ella for a few weeks, finally reconnecting with her mother. Her daughter Liliana was born in September of 2006. Soon after Liliana's birth, Waterman started to feel the financial pressures of having a child. She received $400 a month from the main Department of Health and Human Services, but the checks were barely enough to support herself and her daughter. Around this time, Ella tried to discourage Waterman from turning to sex work, but Watermen, but Watermen enjoyed buying high-end products for herself and Liliana. She wanted money. Waterman returned to life as a sex worker. Ella told the Daily Mail in 2010, quote, it was fast money and good money. She wasn't a $20 corner girl. She said, Mom, you can't believe the clients we have, doctors, police officers,

famous people, end quote. Waterman and Ella had planned to spend Ella's birthday together, but it wasn't meant to be. Waterman was gone. Unlike the other victims, it's unknown if Waterman's family members or boyfriend received any suspicious phone calls after the disappearance. But across town, another soon-to-be victim was certainly about to receive a call, a business offer that would be too good to be true, and come at a fatal cost. On September 2nd, 2010, 27-year-old Amber Lynn Costello received an offer that exceeded her expectations. A stranger responded to her Craig List ad for sex work. As a safety precaution, Costello set up appointments on her roommate's cell phone.

Her roommate, 32-year-old Dave Schaller, usually helped her screen clients, but not this time. The client was offering $1,500 for sex work. Costello's rate was normally around $250. This gig was too good to pass up. Over the course of three to four phone calls, Costello and the client negotiated the details of the gig. She decided to meet with the John before properly screening him. Costello supported herself through sex work, and she used heroin regularly. She needed the cash.

It was worth the risk. After she received the final call at 10.30 a.m. on September 2nd, she left her apartment to meet the client. Costello often worked under the pseudonym Carolina, which was likely inspired by the state where she grew up, North Carolina. Costello was born Amber Lynn Overstreet. and she spent her childhood in the Beach City of Wilmington. Her early years included a few rough moments.

Costello was sexually molested by a neighbor at age six. The incident caused her mother to have a breakdown. Costello's older sister, Kimberly Overstreet, described their childhood to Newsweek, saying, quote, we didn't live the American dream childhood. We watched our families struggle through alcohol addiction and sickness, and quote, around 1996, 19-year-old Kimberly Overstreet started working at a sex service called Co-Ed Confidential.

She worked for a pimp named Teresa. Costello started her own sex work career three years later at age 16. On her own, she decided to charge some of the boys in her neighborhood for sex. Her first client paid her $75. Later in 1999, Costello joined Overstreet at Co-Ed Confidential. Teresa threw drug-fueled parties for her sex workers, supplying them with crack, ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin. Kim used Coke, while Amber began using heroin regularly. Overstreet and Costello moved to several locations together along the East Coast, Hilton Head, Florida, New Orleans, and Suffolk County, to name a few.

But in 2007, Costello decided to give up the nomadic lifestyle and settle down. She married Don Costello in Dunedin, Florida. and took his last name. She moved into Don's condo and joined his church. Amber got a job at the church nursery. The couple even tried to start a family together. Sadly, Amber and Don suffered a miscarriage. But in 2008, a family at Amber and Don's church

weren't able to take care of their baby. The Costellos took in the baby, Gabriel, as child protection services sorted out the situation. Amber loved taking care of the baby. She took Gabriel to visit her father in Wilmington. and taught the baby to call him granddad. The Costello's tried to adopt baby Gabriel, but their plans fell through.

Amber and Don's marriage began to unravel soon after. Don claimed that the last time he saw her was in December 2008, when she picked up some Christmas decorations from his condo. Later that month, police arrested Costello for shoplifting toothpaste from a local public's supermarket. Don and Amber's marriage ended in March 2009, after only 15 months.

Don said, quote, she was not truthful throughout our marriage, end quote. He did not single out any specific instances. Amber Costello's court date for shoplifting at Publix was set for February 2010. But Costello decided to head back to New York to get clean. Overstreet paid for her plane ticket

and placed her sister in a drug detox program at Nassau University Medical Center in 2010. Once Costello's stay was over, she moved into a sober house and then an apartment in North Babylon, Long Island. But Costello soon returned to sex work, and Overstreet said that caused her sister to relapse and use heroin once again. She began soliciting sex via Craigslist under the name Carolina. The morning after Costello's gig on September 3, 2010, her roommate noticed that Costello hadn't come home. He called Overstreet. Overstreet hadn't heard from Costello, but didn't think her sister was missing.

She assumed that Costello had found someone to get high with and would resurface in a day or two. In January 2011, Suffolk County authorities used a swab of Overstreet's DNA to identify one of the Gilgo 4 as Costello. Overstreet made headlines in 2012 for her own attempt to try and catch her sister's murderer. Overstreet told the Channel 4 UK series True Stories that she said, She started soliciting sex on the same website as Costello in order to lure in her killer. She said, maybe he'll try and do it to me. It is unknown if she continued with the plan. The Gilgo Beach Four were now identified as Amber Lynn Costello,

Marine Brainerd Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Melissa Bartholomey. But there were still six more unidentified bodies found near Gilgo Beach. This is where our story gets tricky and strange. Because before we can discuss these still unidentified bodies, we have to talk about other Jane Does. Almost 10 years before the Gilgo Four were discovered, other bodies were found near Gilgo Beach and Nassau County, and they might prove to be pieces to this far-reaching puzzle. On March 29, 2011, a skull, a pair of hands, and a right forearm were discovered along Ocean Parkway. Police identified the body parts as belonging.

to a woman named Jessica Taylor. This made them take pause. Eight years previous, on July 26, 2003, Jessica's torso had been discovered in a pile of branches an hour east of Ocean Parkway in Manorville, New York. The police were shocked. Who had dismembered Jessica's body, left her torso in plain sight,

then transported her body parts all the way to Gilgo Beach just to dump them elsewhere? Five days later, the mystery grew more complex. On April 4, 2011, police found a head, two hands, and the right foot of another dismembered corpse,

not far from where the parts of Jessica Taylor were discovered. Forensic testing confirmed that these body parts belonged to a woman already on file as Jane Doe No. 6. 11 years previous in 2000, the torso of Jane Doe No. 6 had also been discovered in Manorville. Police now had two sets. of dismembered parts belonging to the torsos of two women found years before. The identity of Jane Doe No. 6 was still unknown. Police thought she might be five foot two,

probably between 18 and 35 years old. Then Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer theorized that Jane Doe No. 6 was probably a sex worker based off the profile of Jessica Taylor. Jessica Taylor was a known sex worker who had been arrested several times. for sex work in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Atlantic City. Taylor was last seen sometime between July 18th and 21st, 2003, as she solicited sex near the Manhattan Port Authority bus terminal. It would seem as though Taylor and Jane Doe No. 6 were both victims of the Gilgo Beach Killer. But while nothing is known about No. 6, Jessica Taylor's profile differs slightly from those of the Gilgo 4.

Jessica did not solicit sex work via Craigslist. Her asking rate for sex work was different, too. She only charged at around $50 an hour, a fraction of what the Craigslist workers asked. However, Jessica Taylor was killed years before the Gilgo Four, so the killer's MO could have evolved over time. Retired FBI profiler, Dr. Mary Ellen O'Toole explains, serial killers do have a certain type of victim they seek out,

but their taste can vary and change over time. She said their preferences are a combination of what victims are available, accessible, and desirable. The other two sets of remains discovered on April 4, 2011, were the most unique of them all. Suffolk County Police identified one of the victims as a man, known as John Doe. Police theorized that he was a 5'6 Asian man, between 17 and 23 years old. John Doe was determined to be in poor health because his skull was missing two incisor teeth and two molars. His remains showed evidence of blunt force trauma.

This major variation from the other victims initially caused police to think John Doe had been murdered by another killer. But police soon revealed to the press that John Doe had been wearing women's clothing items when he had died. This caused Suffolk County police to consider a new theory. John Doe could have been transgender. As such, she might have been a sex worker that fit the profile of the Gilgo Beach killer. The most unexpected victim of all, though, was a female toddler found on April 4, 2011 around Jones Beach,

wearing little hoop earrings and a necklace. Police determined that Baby Doe's mother was a woman known as Jane Doe No. 3. The skeletal remains of Jane Doe No. 3 were found 10 miles away on Jones' beach. Beach on April 11, 2011. It's unclear as to why Jane Doe No. 3's remains were found so far away from Baby Doe. The skeletal remains found did not include a head or torso. However, she did have an identifying characteristic that helped link her to Baby Doe, her jewelry. Suffolk County Police noticed that both Jane Doe No. 3 and Baby Doe wore the same kind of cheap gold jewelry. Baby Doe was found wearing gold-colored hoop earrings and a 16-inch gold-colored chain necklace.

Jane Doe No. 3's remains contained two gold bracelets, one with X and O, while the other had fake diamonds. A DNA test further proved that Jane Doe number three and baby dough were mother and child. But in December 2016, police were able to identify Jane Doe number three a bit further. They believed she was Peaches, a sex worker whose dismembered torso, was found in 1997. Police called her Peaches because of a peach tattoo on her torso. The way the killer disposed of Peach's body in 1997 was different than the other victims.

On June 28, 1997, a hiker found a green rubber-made container next to a road in Hempstead Lake Park in Nassau County. The container held a black plastic bag that was filled with a floral pillowcase and Peaches' torso. Investigators had determined that, Peaches was a black woman between 20 and 30 years old. The torso had an identifiable scar from a cesarean section. The identification of Peaches raises an interesting question. Could the Gilgo Beach killer have been active as far as back as 1997? Before this discovery, it was suspected that the killer

mostly operated in the 2000s. The final victim found near Gilgo Beach was Jane Doe number seven. The least is known about her. Only her. her skull and a few teeth were discovered on April 11, 2011, on Toby Beach. Her remains were linked to a garbage bag full of severed legs, discovered on Fire Island in 1996, just before Peach's torso was found. Nothing else is known about her at this time. As we've talked about before,

a main characteristic of serial killers is a cooling-off period of weeks or years between murders. In this time, the serial killer seemingly goes back, to their daily life and blends in with the general population, according to Dr. Scott Bonn, author of Why We Love Serial Killers. Following that line of logic, the Long Island Gilgo Beach Killer could also have been responsible for a murder all the way back in 1982. Tina Folia, a 19-year-old who went missing after attending a rock concert on Long Island and was

never found. If the connection between the two was ever proven, it means the Gilgo Beach killer was able to undetected for 30 years. To recap, the victims we discussed in this episode were the Gilgo Beach 4, Maureen Brainard Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Bartholomey, and Amber Lynn Costello. Also, Jessica Taylor, Jane Doe No. 6, Jane Doe number 7, peaches, baby dough, and John Doe. Police found the remains of these victims around Gilgo Beach and Nassau County in 2011. These are the 10 victims linked to the Long Island Gilgo Beach killer.

Shannon Gilbert, however, is not. Police still believe her death was a separate occurrence. In 2016, an independent autopsy revealed that marks on Gilbert's body are consistent with homicidal strangulation. However, both the independent autopsy and the Suffolk County Office of the Medical Examiner listed Gilbert's cause and manner of death as undetermined. Though Gilbert's murder is still unsolved, her death launched the investigation into the Long Island Gilgo Beach killer and gave closure to families that have been searching for their loved ones for over 10 years. Next week, we'll further delve into Shannon Gilbert's murder and discuss other possible victims of the Long Island Gilgo Beach serial killer.

We'll also examine the recent suspects who have emerged in the case, including a former police chief. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. If you want to listen to any previous episodes of serial killers, you can find them on Apple Podcasts, tune in, Google Play, Stitcher, and Spotify, or in our website, parcast.com. Spelled P-A-R-C-A-S-T.com. If you like what you hear, please leave a five-star review or tell us what you think on social media.

We're on Facebook and Instagram as at Parcast and Twitter at Parcast Network. It seems simple, but it really helps our show. Join us next Monday as we continue delving into the twisted psyche of the Long Island Gilgo Beach serial killer. Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler, is a production of Cutler Media and is part of the Parcast Network. It is produced by Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Russell Nash, with production

assistance by Ron Shapiro and Paul Mahler. Additional production assistance by Carly Madden and Maggie Admeyer. Serial Killers is written by Mallory Cara and stars Greg Poulson and Vanessa Richardson. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence. I've seen something in the room. He's sleeping then that there was a full of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday.

Listen on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes.

Somehow I lost eight whole hours. Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.