Discovery of three more bodies brings Long Island beach count to eight

Police searching for the remains of Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker who is believed to have gone missing on Long Island, have uncovered three more unburied bodies in the underbrush at the side of Ocean Parkway at Gilgo Beach.

The initial, gruesome discovery made in the search for Gilbert yielded the remains of four women: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Megan Waterman, 22, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 28, and Melissa Barthelemy, 24. Later searches of the area after heavy snow over a large portion of late December and January led the the discovery of fifth body, and police are working to identify that person.

The three additional bodies were wrapped in burlap and located not far from where the others were discovered. Police say despite the pending IDs for the bodies located this weekend, they feel certain Gilbert did not leave the beach alive. The Wall Street Journal describes the last known sighting of Gilbert:

Ms. Gilbert became upset, accused the man of trying to kill her, called 911 and then called her driver, who was waiting outside the home. The woman fled the home and ran to a neighboring house. The neighbor told The Wall Street Journal and the police he last saw the woman running off his property being followed by her driver.

Police expect confirmation on whether the remains are that of Gilbert “quickly,” and say they have DNA samples for the missing woman.

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