On May 1, 2010, Shannan Gilbert disappeared after fleeing a client's house in the Oak Beach Association. In December 2010, while searching for Gilbert, the police found 10 dead bodies along the adjacent highway, some bodies in December 2010, others in April 2011. Consequently, the community attracted much public attention.
In December 2011, the body of the original missing sex worker Shannan Gilbert was found in the marsh east of the community. On November 29, 2011, the police announced their belief that one person is responsible for all 10 deaths (whom the press refers to at various times as: "the Long Island serial killer", "LISK", "the Gilgo Beach Killer", or "the Craigslist Ripper"), and that they did not believe the case of Gilbert, who went missing before the first set of bodies was found, was related.[4] "It is clear that the area in and around Gilgo Beach has been used to discard human remains for some period of time," said Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.[5]
On December 10, 2015, Suffolk County Police announced that the FBI had officially joined the investigation. A spokesperson for the FBI confirmed the announcement. The FBI had previously assisted in the search for victims, but was never officially part of the investigation until this announcement.[6] The investigation is ongoing. In the summer of 2023, architect Rex Heuermann of nearby Massapequa Park was charged with the murders of several women found during the investigation. Police believe Shannon Gilbert was not murdered, but rather got lost in the marshland and drowned.
40°38′21″N 73°17′18″W