Shannan Gilbert

Case background and investigation

On May 1, 2010, twenty-four-year-old Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker from Jersey City, arrived at the Oak Beach community on Long Island's barrier island for an appointment arranged through Craigslist. During the encounter, she became distressed and fled the client's home, banging on neighbors' doors and making a frantic 911 call before running into the nearby marshland.

Shannan was never seen alive again. The search for her led police to make a shocking discovery: beginning in December 2010, investigators found the remains of multiple other victims along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, eventually uncovering at least 10 sets of human remains, revealing a serial killer had been operating on Long Island.

Shannan's body was found in the marsh near Oak Beach in December 2011. Her death was initially attributed to accidental drowning, though her family disputed this finding and believed she was a victim of the serial killer.

In July 2023, Rex Heuermann, an architect from Massapequa Park, was arrested in the Gilgo Beach case. He pleaded guilty to seven murders on April 8, 2026 and was sentenced on June 17, 2026 to seven consecutive life sentences without parole. He was not charged in connection with Shannan Gilbert, whose cause of death remains officially undetermined.