Shannan Gilbert was a young woman who worked as a sex worker and went missing in 2010 after fleeing from a client’s house in Oak Beach, Long Island. Shannan Gilbert’s disappearance sparked a massive search that uncovered the remains of at least 10 other victims, mostly prostitutes, in the nearby Gilgo Beach area. The case became known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings and remains unsolved to this day. Shannan Gilbert’s story was recently adapted into a Netflix documentary called Lost Girls, based on a book by Robert Kolker.
BIO, WIKI
| Name | Shannan Maria Gilbert |
| Birth Date | October 24, 1986 |
| Birth Place | Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Death Date | May 1, 2010 (estimated) |
| Death Place | Gilgo Beach, New York, USA |
| Cause of Death | Undetermined |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (approx) |
| Weight | 64 kg (approx) |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Education | New Paltz High School |
| Occupation | Sex worker |
| Siblings | Sarra Elizabeth Gilbert, Sherre Gilbert, Stevie Smith |
| Parents | Mari Gilbert (mother), unknown (father) |
| shannangilbert | |
| Homepage | Dreshare.com |
Birthday
Shannan Gilbert was born on October 24, 1986, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. She was 24 years old when she went missing in 2010.
Father
Shannan Gilbert’s father’s name and profession are not known. He was not involved in her life and did not appear in the Netflix documentary Lost Girls.
Mother
Shannan Gilbert’s mother was Mari Gilbert, an activist and advocate for the families of the Gilgo Beach victims. Shannan Gilbert fought tirelessly to find out what happened to her daughter and to expose the corruption and incompetence of the Suffolk County Police Department. She also sued Dr. Peter Hackett, a former emergency services director who lived in Oak Beach and allegedly called Mari after Shannan’s disappearance, claiming that he had given her drugs and shelter.
Mari accused him of being involved in her daughter’s death, but he denied any wrongdoing. Mari Gilbert was tragically killed by her youngest daughter Sarra in 2016, who suffered from schizophrenia and stabbed her mother multiple times. Sarra was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Shannan Gilbert Story
Shannan Gilbert grew up in a broken home and was separated from her mother and sisters at a young age. Shannan Gilbert was placed in foster care and later reunited with her family. She was a bright and ambitious girl who dreamed of becoming a singer and an actress. She moved to New Jersey with her boyfriend and started working as a sex worker through an online escort agency to support herself and her family. She hired Michael Pak, a driver, and bodyguard, to accompany her to her appointments.
On May 1, 2010, Shannan accepted a call from Joseph Brewer, a resident of Oak Beach, Long Island. She arrived at his house around 2 a.m. with Pak waiting outside in his car. According to Brewer, Shannan became agitated and paranoid after they had sex and refused to leave his house.
He said he did not harm her or give her any drugs. He called Pak to come inside and help him calm her down. Shannan then ran out of the house screaming “They’re trying to kill me!” She knocked on the door of a neighbor, Gus Coletti, who called 911. She then ran to another neighbor’s house, Barbara Brennan, who also called 911. Shannan then ran towards Dr. Peter Hackett’s house, but he did not answer the door. She then ran into the marshy area behind his house and disappeared.
Pak tried to follow her but lost sight of her. He left the area around 4:30 a.m., thinking that she would come back on her own or that the police would find her. The police arrived around 5:30 a.m., but they did not conduct a thorough search or interview, Brewer or Pak. They also did not release the 911 tapes or transcripts to Mari or the public.
Shannan remained missing for over a year until December 2010, when police were searching for her near Gilgo Beach and found four sets of human remains wrapped in burlap sacks along Ocean Parkway. They were later identified as Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello, all sex workers who had disappeared between 2007 and 2010. The police announced that they were looking for a serial killer who preyed on prostitutes.
In the following months, six more sets of remains were found in the same area, some of them dismembered and scattered. They included a toddler, a male dressed in women’s clothing, an Asian male, and a woman known as Jane Doe #6. The police did not link all of them to the same killer but suggested that there might be multiple killers operating in the area.
In December 2011, Shannan’s remains were finally found in a marshy area near Oak Beach, about half a mile from where she was last seen. Her jeans, shoes, cell phone, purse, and ID were also recovered. The police ruled her death as “undetermined” and said that she had drowned accidentally while running away from a perceived threat. They also said that she was not a victim of the serial killer, but a separate case. They claimed that there was no evidence of foul play or trauma on her body.
However, Mari and her lawyer John Ray did not accept the police’s conclusion and hired an independent forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Baden, to examine Shannan’s remains. Dr. Baden found that Shannan’s hyoid bone, a small bone in the neck that is often broken in cases of strangulation, was missing. He also said that her body was too decomposed to determine the cause of death. He suggested that Shannan might have been killed by someone who chased her into the marsh and strangled her.
Mari and Ray also accused the police of mishandling the investigation and covering up the truth. They alleged that there was corruption and collusion among the police, the local residents, and the killer. They demanded that the police release the 911 tapes and transcripts, which they believed would contain vital clues and evidence. They also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Hackett, who they suspected of being involved in Shannan’s death or disappearance.
Netflix Documentary
Shannan Gilbert’s story was adapted into a Netflix documentary called Lost Girls, which was released on March 13, 2020. The documentary is based on a book by Robert Kolker, who interviewed Mari and the families of the other victims. The documentary focuses on Mari’s quest for justice and her struggle with the police and the media. It also portrays Shannan as a complex and sympathetic person who had hopes and dreams beyond her profession.
The documentary features interviews with Mari, her sisters, her lawyer, Kolker, Dr. Baden, and others involved in the case. It also includes archival footage, photos, recordings, and dramatizations of the events. The documentary is directed by Liz Garbus, who is known for her work on documentaries such as What Happened, Miss Simone? and The Farm: Angola, USA.
The documentary has received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. It has been praised for its compelling storytelling, its humanization of the victims, and its exposure to the systemic failures that allowed the killer to remain at large. It has also been criticized for its lack of focus on the killer’s identity and motives, its omission of some details and facts from the book, and its sensationalization of some aspects of the case.
Who Killed Shannan Gilbert?
The answer to who killed Shannan Gilbert is not clear and remains a matter of controversy. There are different theories and opinions about her cause of death and whether she was a victim of the Long Island serial killer or not. Here are some of the possible scenarios:
- Accidental drowning: The Suffolk County police ruled her death as an accidental drowning due to drug-induced paranoia and exposure to the elements. They said she ran into a marshy area near the beach and got stuck in the mud and water. They said there was no evidence of foul play or trauma on her body. They also said she was not a victim of the serial killer because her remains were found far away from the other victims and she did not fit the killer’s profile.
- Homicide by strangulation: The Gilbert family disputed the police’s conclusion and hired an independent pathologist, Dr. Michael Baden, who conducted a second autopsy on Shannan’s remains. He found that her hyoid bone, a small bone in the neck, was broken, which he said was consistent with homicidal strangulation.
He also said that her body was moved after death and that she could have been killed by the same person who killed the other victims. The Gilbert family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Joseph Brewer, Michael Pak, and Dr. Peter Hackett, whom they suspected of being involved in Shannan’s death. However, the lawsuit was dismissed in 2018 due to a lack of evidence.
- Murder by Rex Heuermann: In July 2023, Rex Heuermann, a 42-year-old architect from Massapequa Park, was arrested in Manhattan in connection with the murders of four of the Long Island serial killer’s victims: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. Heuermann confessed to killing them and disposing of their bodies along the Ocean Parkway between 2007 and 2010.
He also claimed to have killed Shannan Gilbert and several other unidentified victims. He said he lured them through online ads and tortured them in his basement before killing them. He said he moved Shannan’s body to the marsh after killing her in his home. He also said he made the 911 calls from her phone to confuse the police. The police are investigating his claims and have not confirmed his involvement in Shannan’s death yet.
Shannan Gilbert Sisters
Shannan Gilbert had three sisters: Sarra Elizabeth Gilbert, Sherre Gilbert, and Stevie Smith. They were close to each other and supported their mother in her search for Shannan.
Sarra Elizabeth Gilbert was born on June 17, 1989. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at a young age and had a history of mental illness and substance abuse. She had four children with two different men but lost custody of them due to her instability. She also had several run-ins with the law for assault, harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child.
On July 23, 2016, Sarra stabbed her mother Mari multiple times with a 15-inch kitchen knife in her apartment in Ellenville, New York. She then called 911 and confessed to killing her mother. She claimed that she heard voices telling her to do it and that her mother was evil and possessed by demons. She also said that she killed her pet puppy by drowning it in a bathtub.
Sarra was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was found competent to stand trial by two psychiatrists. In April 2017, she was convicted of second-degree murder after a jury rejected her insanity defense. She was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Sherre Gilbert was born on August 8, 1991. She was one of the youngest sisters and lived with her mother until her death. She helped her mother in her search for Shannan and attended court hearings and press conferences with her. She also appeared in the Netflix documentary Lost Girls.
Sherre is married to Alex Diaz Jr., whom she met online in 2012. They have two children together: Alex Diaz III and Ariana
Facts About Shannan Gilbert
- She was born on October 24, 1986, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and had three sisters: Sherre, Sarra, and Stevie.
- Shannan Gilbert was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and struggled with drug addiction. She also had a history of domestic violence with her boyfriend, Alex Diaz.
- Shannan Gilbert worked as an escort on Craigslist to support herself and her family. She used the alias “Chloe” and advertised her services in New York and New Jersey.
- On May 1, 2010, she met with a client named Joseph Brewer at his home in Oak Beach, a gated community on Long Island. She arrived with her driver, Michael Pak, who waited outside.
- Around 4:51 a.m., she called 911 from Brewer’s house and said “They’re trying to kill me”. She sounded panicked and confused and mentioned Pak’s name. The call lasted for 23 minutes but the operator could not locate her.
- She ran out of Brewer’s house and knocked on the door of his neighbor, Gus Coletti, who called 911 as well. She then ran to another neighbor, Barbara Brennan, who also called 911. She was last seen running towards a marshy area near the beach.
- Her driver, Pak, claimed he tried to look for her but could not find her. He left the area around 6:30 a.m. Brewer was questioned by the police but was not charged with any crime. He said Gilbert was acting erratically and he did not harm her.
- In December 2010, while searching for Gilbert, the police found the remains of four other women near Gilgo Beach, all of whom were sex workers who advertised on Craigslist. They were later identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. They became known as “The Gilgo Four”.
- In March and April 2011, six more sets of remains were found in Suffolk and Nassau counties, some of whom were also linked to sex work or online ads. They were identified as Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Jane Doe #6, John Doe #8 (a transgender woman), Baby Doe (a toddler), and an unidentified Asian male. The police suspected a serial killer was behind these murders.
- On December 13, 2011, Gilbert’s remains were finally found in a marshy area near Oak Beach, about half a mile from where she was last seen alive. Her personal belongings, such as her phone, purse and jeans, were found nearby.
- The police ruled her death as an accidental drowning due to drug-induced paranoia and exposure to the elements.
- They said she was not a victim of the serial killer. Her family disputed this conclusion and hired an independent pathologist who found signs of possible strangulation on her neck bones.
- They also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Brewer and Pak, as well as Dr. Peter Hackett, a former Oak Beach resident who allegedly called Gilbert’s mother after she disappeared and said he ran a home for wayward girls. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2018 due to lack of evidence.
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