A year and a half of questions & no answers, clues or hints. Sarra was hospitalized several times. After the third call, police asked Verizon to tap Amanda's phone. Shannan ran towards the home of another Oak Beach resident, Barbara Brennan. They're on their way,' She just looked at me and she ran right out the door.". The murderer is suspected of killing between 10 and 16 people and, so far, has eluded capture. "We want to see whether Shannan really could've taken the trip police believe she took," Ray said before heading into the marsh. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "What would she tell you when you would say you were worried about it?" "The area in and around Gilgo Beach has been used to discard human remains for some period of time," a police officer said at a press conference. About a week after Melissa disappeared, her 15-year-old sister, Amanda, got a call from Melissa's phone. Mari Gilbert She was the first woman to disappear in 2007. "Her driver dropped her off and she was there for quite a while and then for some reason, she started to panic.". Asked if he believes this man will probably kill again, Cohen told Moriarty, "Oh, there's no question he is getting better and better at it. The Long Island Serial Killer Case, Explained, He was sort of the local big shot in Oak Beach, Robert Kolker, the author of . And then you keep changing your story," said Moriarty. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "So why would you call her mother? "But wouldn't you sound that way if you were panicked and afraid?" She also beat her with a fire extinguisher and sprayed her with foam from the extinguisher. The Daily Freeman reports that Sarra Gilbert, 28, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the brutal stabbing murder of her mother Mari Gilbert last July. Mari Gilberts body was discovered in her daughter Sarras apartment in the Catskills. Colletti said it was then that he noticed an Asian man in his 30s driving a black SUV. Authorities were able to trace some of the calls to a handful of busy locations in midtown Manhattan: near the Port Authority, the Empire State Building and Times Square. Mari Gilbert Was Stabbed to Death by Her Daughter After Losing Then, five years after the discovery of Shannans body, the Gilbert family once again made But Sarra's sister Stevie Smith disagreed regarding the motive, testifying that Sarra was jealous of her relationship with their mother and "I believe she would have killed me too.". Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest in the Long Island serial killer case. "I was terrified," Barthelemy said. "'She's 24 She's not on any psych meds. I was able to meet with her, and talk with her. "48 Hours" uncovers missing escort Shannan Gilbert's final minutes In a 14-page But then how did her clothing end up so far from her body? "I just did not want to believe that she wasn't ever gonna come home," said Mari. She just kept staring at me and going, 'Help me, help me, help me. Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-220-TIPS (8477). In 2016, just months after an independent autopsy raised more questions about Shannans death, Mari Gilbert was found dead in her daughter Sarra Gilberts "He's an individual who likes to get involved," Varrone said of Dr. Hackett. Ten bodies, eight suffocated or strangled, and none of them Shannan Gilbert, the young woman whose disappearance launched the investigation. Gilbert was stabbed to death by her 27-year-old daughter Sarra in Sarra's apartment building on Warren Street in Ellenville, New York, on July 23, 2016. [4] Her daughter suffered from schizophrenia, with one report claiming that she "had voices in her head telling her to carry out the crime." "The story of these women is the story about a part of America where people have few options and where some people make desperate or risky decisions," said journalist Bob Kolker, who has written a new book about the Long Island cases, called "Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery." We went everywhere.". "And lead to some breakthrough, God willing.". And maybe that little something that they know will lead to the solving of this case.". After a jury found Sarra Gilbert guilty, she was given the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in August 2017. She believed the voices in her head were caused by her mom. Her disappearance and Mari's efforts to find out what happened to her daughter are the focus of the new Netflix feature film "Lost Girls" starring Amy Ryan as the desperate mother who casts suspicion on Hackett (played by Reed Birney). No," Varrone replied. "When I tried to tell my story to the police and to the media no one believed me," said Mari. You dont go back to where you started Its like a nuclear bomb went off.. Israel Nieves was so jealous of James Rodriguez that he hatched an elaborate plan to lure him to his death. And she didnt just make a lot of noise; the experience of fighting on behalf of her daughter Shannan transformed Mari, too.. Then, five years after the discovery of Shannans body, the Gilbert family once again made headlines when Mari was killed by her daughter Sarra on July 23, 2016. The medical examiner couldn't determine cause of death, but investigators don't think she's the 11th victim of the Long Island Serial Killer. They assumed she had already left the area with her driver, Michael Pak. At that point, Colletti called 911. Maybe she doesn't care about her kids'" Cann said, her eyes welling with tears. ", Dr. Hackett later admitted in letters to "48 Hours" that he had called Shannan's mother, but he said it was later in the week and he did so at the request of friends who were searching for Shannan to be "supportive." Dr. Charles Peter Hackett was once a big shot in his private Oak Beach neighborhoodbut after he called the mother of a missing escort, Hackett found himself linked to an unsolved Long Island murder mystery. So we did go back and sort of apply some of that hindsight to the storytelling. From Netflix's Lost Girls. "But you're as vulnerable as ever when you're working alone, particularly when you just meet your client that night.". In fact, Dr. Hackett was known to provide medical treatment out of his home. The first was loosing Shannan. "He wanted to kill her.". Hacketts attorney, James ORouke, has denied Hackett had anything to do with Shannans death and called the allegations against him contained in the lawsuit categorically false., The tragedy of this young womans death is only compounded by the prosecution in this civil litigation, he toldFox News. Sarra said her mom practiced witchcraft and she believed Mari was a demon. "At a certain point you just have to run with it.". For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, LI Serial Killer: Missing escort, crime scene & victims, Clues in the Long Island serial killer case, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated. Last year, Ray and two colleagues put the police theory to the test. She called her mother and said come over. "And the killer said some pretty horrible things to Amanda," Cohen told Moriarty. Shortly after Gilberts body was discovered, Hackett put his Oak Beach house on the market in 2012 and moved away from the area,Newsdayreports. Gene Coombs and Henry Williams had mistaken the politician for a drug dealer who had ripped them off. "These young women were cast aside on the road, barely even covered up, and were neglected to even be looked for for so long.". And her children were adversely affected by it, there is no question about it whatsoever." They were traveling together, coordinating. Asked if he thought Shannan was afraid of the man in the SUV, Colletti. According to Mari Gilberts obituary, Mari had four grandsons when she died and she was engaged to Elroy J. Shulterbrandt. "When I started the project, it was 2015. "Today they found a pair of jeans a pair of shoes the pocketbook with identification in the pocketbook belonging to Shannan Gilbert," then-Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer told reporters. These are all the jobs she called and applied for call center, data entry and the list goes on and on," Cann said, showing off a list. It was schizophrenia, attorney John Ray, tells PEOPLE. It was hard to breathe," said Cann. At the heart of these efforts was Mari Gilbert (played in the movie by The Offices Amy Ryan), who worked to bring attention to the the murder of her 24-year-old daughter, Shannan. "If Michael Pak had stayed there and told the officers that she was still missing, is it possible that Shannan Gilbert might still be alive?" Mari Cox Gilbert Mari Gilbert died in July 2016, allegedly stabbed to death by her other daughter, Sarra, who suffers from schizophrenia. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said investigators were not necessarily certain if Shannan was killed. Lost Girls, a mystery film that arrives on Netflix on March 13, is a dramatized account of an unresolved true crime story about a serial killer on New Yorks Long Island.. Based on a 2013 nonfiction book of the same name by Robert Kolker, the movie centers on Mari Gilbert, played by Amy Ryan, a single mother of three juggling multiple jobs whose '", "This is all on the audiotape," Varrone said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? When you give look let me not get into it," he said. Mari Gilbert's Daughter Sarra Gilbert Now? Also Dr. Hackett has steadfastly denied ever seeing Shannan to the press. Attorney Ray tells PEOPLE that since 2014, Sarra has been hospitalized in at least two facilities in upstate New York. "Do you believe that this killer or killers will eventually be caught?" In 2017, Sarra was convicted of second-degree murder, Daily Freeman reported. How and why did Shannan die? But she had recently become dangerous, even drowning her pet puppy in front of her eight-year-old child. They were very much on the same page, as far as trying to find Shannan, Laster says. "I do," he replied. It was now 5:21 am. Yelling, 'Help me, help me, help me. It would be two days before Sherre learned her sister was missing when Shannan's worried boyfriend called to say she hadn't come home. Local newspaper reports about Shannan Gilberts disappearance and the bodies discovered on Gilgo Beach. Ellenville police arrested Gilbert at the scene and said they recovered a 15-inch kitchen knife they believe was used in the attack. "Exactly," Schaller agreed, "like a lion smells a dying gazelle.". Am I personally troubled by it? "I thought that he was a liar and I still think he's a liar," Sherre said. By 2010, Shannan was an aspiring actor who lived in Jersey City and worked as an escort. In 2016, Maris 27-year-old daughter, Sarra Gilbert, fatally stabbed her mom more than 200 times and hit her with a Actress Oona Laurence (far left) plays a young Sarra Gilbert in, The Real Mari Gilbert of Lost Girls, The True Story Behind "Lost Girls" on Netflix, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Shannan's missing persons case led police to discover ten sets of remains, now attributed to the, Mari Gilbert was murdered by one of her daughter, Sarra. Sister of missing young woman who led police to serial killer He used the phrase that it was too late to help her and that he then released her., Shannan'sbody was discovered in 2011, partially clothed, in a localmarsh. "I've been led to believe by Amanda and by the data that I have that he is a white male.". He nowreportedly lives in Florida. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. The "She just disappeared into the night.". Heres what you should know. ", Police have said that they do not consider Hackett a suspect in the killings,according to, We allege that Dr. Peter Hackett has told others that he encountered Shannan knocking on his door on May 1, that he let her into his home and that he administered narcotics, Ray said outside the courthouse after filing the suit according to, . Despite her well-documented history of severe mental illness and the fact that Sarra had gone off of her medication before the murder, Sarra was found guilty of murder in 2017 and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. She wrote a heartfelt message about Shannan in 2019, saying: Its been 8yrs since you were found. ", Garbus hopes that Lost Girls will inspire in others the same unrelenting dedication to finding the truth about how Shannan Gilbertand the rest of the women found near Gilgo Beachreally died. "Mari was a lifetime practitioner of witchcraft and apparently of black magic," Ray said in the same Newsday report. "I feel like they failed me and they failed my sister. She lived just 10 miles from the killer's dumping ground. Councilor Matt Garcia was shot dead in a suburban driveway as he chatted with a friend in Fairfield City, California. "I said, 'Well, I called the police they are on their way to bring her back," Colletti said. Former Chief of Detectives Dominick Varrone believes Shannan actually died by accident -- after running into the thick marsh and getting lost. Attempts to find current contact information for Hackett were not immediately successful. On July 23, 2016, Sarra Gilbert traveled from Ellenville, NY, to her mothers home in Catskills, NY, and attacked Mari Gilbert. We may earn a commission from these links. , Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart called her cause of death "inconclusive. Even the family's attorney, Steven Cohen, couldn't get police to take notice. Heres what you need to know about Mari Gilberts daughters. At this point, she had been missing for 10 months. reports. It doesn't seem plausible," said Kolker. But her third daughter, Sarra, suffered from severe mental illness. Netflixs new true crime drama, .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Lost Girls, tells the story of the hunt for the Long Island serial killer, whos believed to have murdered at least 10 people and buried their bodies near a beach on Long Island, New York. "I don't believe he said that. Attempts to find current contact information for Hackett were not immediately successful. "And it was too overgrown to bring in dogs and to search!". "If she had abandoned her shoes and she was walking barefoot through this, it would seem almost impossible for her without cutting up her feet very badly on the broken reeds," he explained. Garbus knows viewers may likely be floored by the news of Mari's death at the end of the film. "It was like 5:00 in the morning," Colletti recalled. Mari Gilbert with her daughters (left to right) Stevie Smith, Sarra Gilbert, and Sherre Gilbert, with attorney John Ray and retired police detective William Mahoney. But Shannan's mother believes Dr. Hackett knows more than he's saying. ", But Garbus didn't get to see her again. I'm like that's -- 'they're gonna eat you alive.' In describing Gilberts legacy, Kolker wrote that out of all of the family members of the Gilgo Beach murder victims, Mari was the one who got the most out of the police, forced them to do things they otherwise wouldnt. My mom, my best friend, the person I relied on the most in this world is gone!!! She doesnt go to the page as frequently anymore, but still posts updates from time to time. Unidentified woman: We did. Mari was alive and kicking. Somewhere along the line, somebody dropped the ball. It was the call Sherre and her sister, Sarra, had been dreading ever since learning Shannan, diagnosed with a bipolar disorder and struggling with depression and mood swings, had turned to selling her services online as an escort. rtache I feel everyday for you & mom. A year & a half of hope, prayers & dreams.People say I have a tragic life because of my circumstances but one thing is for sure. I don't think that's the case," said Chief Varrone. She didn't know it then, but the mysterious events of the next few hours would forever link her to four young women - whose bodies were found wrapped in burlap -- and spark one of the largest murder investigations in Long Island history. Gilbert family attorney John Ray told PIX11 that in the months leading up to Mari's horrific death, Sarra had drowned her pet puppy and threatened to kill her 8-year-old son. There are stories about him having a police radio and anytime there was any sort of emergency call within reach of where he lived, he would hop in and drive over to see if he could help out.. Ray asked. Brewer claims he doesn't know what set Shannan off or why she made that call to 911. Mari Gilbert And more questions about a curious character who put himself right in the middle of the mystery. Mari Gilbert, Mother Of Murdered Sex Worker, Found Stabbed Mari Gilbert Killed: Daughter Sarra Had Schizophrenia, Attorney What would kill a 23-year-old woman? "So why did he pick, you know, a sex worker if he didn't want sex?" "It almost seems like she's in some type of psychotic state or in some type of drug-induced stupor.". She testified that it wasnt mental illness that led Sarra to kill her mom, but drugs and long term hate, The Cut reported. Shannan was last seen running on the streetsof Oak Beach after leaving her client Joseph Brewers home. "Shock," Varrone replied. But mainly he focused on Melissa's little sister and called to terrify her. "In this police force, not unlike a lot of other police forces around the country, there's this culture of minimization and denial when it comes to women who are escorts," he said. "There's something so sad that Amber lived 27 years, disappears, and nobody reports her missing," remarked Moriarty. During her sister Sarras trial, she appeared for the prosecution. Mari Gilbert That's what was odd. "She's disoriented; she's in a frenzy," Varrona explained. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. He said, 'Well, I killed Melissa,'" Cohen said. "Absolutely not. During my conversations with them they asked that I call the family, he wrote. Mari Gilbert never stopped fighting for the truth about how her daughterwho was a sex workerdied, drawing attention to the lower priority authorities placed on solving crimes against sex workers, the investigation Kolker wrote about suggests. Sarra Gilbert, Ellenville woman guilty of murdering mother, loses An autopsy ruled Mari Gilberts death a homicide due to multiple stab wounds. It was 4:51 a.m. Former Suffolk County Chief of Detectives Dominick Varrone, who has heard the call, is speaking for the first time on network television. Yesterday was the second most devastating day of my life, according to the post. After Shannans disappearance in May 2010, Sarra appeared at vigils and memorials alongside her mother and sister Sherre, holding photos of her missing sister.