Killer on the Loose: The Hunt for Long Island’s Elusive “Craigslist Ripper”
Screams in the Night
The events that would ultimately spark the search for a ruthless killer unfolded on a warm spring night in Suffolk County, New York when a 911 dispatcher received a call from a woman who was clearly in distress. Her panicked cries for help would soon put authorities on the trail of one of the most elusive predators the area had ever known.
Long Island is the largest land mass of its kind in the continental United States. With its tree-lined streets and quiet communities, it is home to millions who want easy access to the big city, while still maintaining a slice of suburbia. One such area, the peaceful summer haven of Gilgo Beach, which boasts around one hundred residents at any given time, would be rocked by a rash of unsolved murders that baffled detectives and paralyzed the community.
The nightmare began on May 1, 2010, when a twenty-four-year-old escort named Shannon Gilbert placed a panicked call to 911 just before sunrise. Frazzled and out of breath, she had pleaded for help, saying that someone was after her. Just before the line went dead, she had cried out, “They’re trying to kill me!”
At around the same time, other emergency calls were being logged in from residents of the gated community of Oak Beach, all of…
