Sex workers cautioned in Long Island serial killer case

The body count at the side of Ocean Parkway in my hometown of Babylon has risen to a staggering 10 to 12 sets of remains, including one set believed to have belonged to a baby or child.

Law enforcement officials are keeping mum on what they do know about the Long Island serial killer, though tidbits have escaped. Theories abound that the murderer may have inside law enforcement knowledge due to his technical savvy, and some cops have suggested the killer may have operated in and around Atlantic City preying on sex workers in the mid 00s.

What we do know is that the body of Shannan Gilbert, the missing woman who sparked off the investigation, is not one of the ones yet found in the brush at Gilgo Beach. Police are proactively hoping to put sex workers on high alert, lest they become the killer’s next victim. Women (and men) who work the Craigslist curb have been advised to observe safety precautions while police work to identify the person responsible for the murders as well as the identities of several of his victims.

Advising sex workers to “trust your gut,” social worker Maryse Mitchell-Brody has the following advise for prostitutes to stay safe while the Long Island serial killer is still free:

Among the strategies the group advocates are so-called “safe calls” escorts make to friends in order to let each other know where they are and when their sessions with clients are supposed to end.“Tell somebody where you are going to be,” Mitchell-Brody said. “Send them a call beforehand. Say that ‘if you don’t hear from me by a certain time, call the police or tell this person who is nearby.’”

Mitchell-Brody adds that sex workers are often targeted because violent criminals know “they can get away with it.”