Wouldn't he know the last person she saw? Hazel green eyes. And she got her own apartment and she was really proud. Missy Cann will never forget that wintry day 10 years ago when she got the devastating news. Today, former FBI agent Geraldine Hart now police commissioner -- is breathing new life in the case. He is forbidden by court order from sharing the contents, but insists they shed light on Shannan's disappearance. Erin Moriarty: Why are these serial killer cases harder than regular homicides? California Privacy Rights | Former Suffolk police chief James Burke in 2015 was the subject of Senator Boyle's calls for answers on the Long Island Serial Killer case. A private forensic pathologist determined that a damaged hyoid bone in Shannan's neck suggested she may have been strangled. Lily Waterman, 14, was just 3 years old when her mother vanished. Former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer was stunned to have found the remains of four young women on an isolated stretch of Long Island's Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Burke declined "48 Hours"' request for an interview. And Loeb didn't know that. Missy Cann: I want answers. A DNA swab from his brother, obtained during an unrelated arrest, connected his DNA to that found on two murder victimsfrom the 1990s. Erin Moriarty: Was there any relief in at least knowing what happened to your sister? That's what keeps Shannan's sister Sherre going, too. WebThe only real things that make me even consider the possibility are the Janice Fullam disappearance from Smithtown in 1981, the proximity of Lowrita's Massapequa apartment to the Massapequa motel and Lowrita's connection to Amityville. Ive heard Gus Colletti is lying on the 911 tape and doesnt offer to help. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. John Ray: The murderer will be outed. NEWS REPORT: Waterman was last seen in Hauppauge, NY on Long Island at a Holiday Inn Express. While police have officially linked 10 victims, whose remains were found primarily near beaches along Long Island's south shore in 2010 and 2011, to the investigation, an additional six bodies were found in the same area at around the same time. She was a talented young woman from a troubled family dreaming of a singing and acting career. When PIX11 contacted Spotas office Wednesday for comment, we did not receive a response. how did this person look? And the man tasked with finding the elusive serial killer. ; div. Lily Waterman: Yeah. I could hear the commotion from the trains," says Cann. In his press conference yesterday, John Ray said Leannes account, brings a direct connection between Burke and those poor dead victims lying along Ocean Parkway. When asked if he was outright accusing Jimmy Burke of possibly being the Gilgo Beach serial killer, Ray answered quickly and calmly, Yes, and further explained that he believes it is possible Burke and Dr. Peter Hackett could have worked together to murder and dispose of the victims along Gilgo Beach. LORRAINE ELA | Megan's mother [on video]: This little girl was her life. Gilbert is was not just randomly placed there by a separate serial killer either but by the same group of guys. Theres always been a theory of two different serial killers, so what if Dr. Hackett and Police chief are killing together and making a competition out of it. NEWS REPORT: Police say the remains of Melissa Barthelemy and three other victims were found along this beach in December. Im pretty much blown away by all this. I miss her so much. There were other striking similarities. Convicted of: Deprivation of civil rights; conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice. Help. I was pushed out. That was last time I talked to her. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Pat Cuff testified he was demoted four ranks and sent to work in a property warehouse when Burke was promoted in 2012. Why wouldnt Shannan go with him? And she has a family. Gus Garcia-Roberts: he's a reckless character driven by sex. As for the person dismembering bodies-could be the doctor-he knows anatomy. James Burke, the Suffolk County Police Departments former top uniformed officer, was indicted in December 2015 and charged by federal prosecutors with orchestrating an elaborate scheme to conceal his own crime. Im not sure Dr. Hackett has the ability to manipulate the sex workers into being at their most vulnerable prior to the murders & destroy all evidence afterwards, both at the highest level. Varrone says Amber, Megan, Melissa and Maureen were all asphyxiated. Pak is rumored to have been a pimp in Jersey City around that time also, so its not clear exactly what their deal was. He is most Gus Garcia-Roberts: Everybody called him Jimmy back then. In 2018, Geraldine Hart, a career FBI agent, became the new Suffolk County Police Commissioner. RICHARD DORMER [to reporters]: I don't think it's a coincidence that four bodies ended up in this area. He was a middle-age white man that she had seen one or twice before. Erin Moriarty: So, does that mean whoever took her and killed her was someone she had seen before? Prior to Pak, Gilbert worked for an escort agency that was very successful, (it gets caught at the W in Hoboken in 2009). Dominick Varrone: I had tremendous amount of knowledge on the case. Burke has been housed in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, far from the inmates he helped put behind bars over three decades in law enforcement on Long And you know Burke got in with Spota in high school by lying and accusing the boys. In an explosive news conference on Thursday, Ray brought forth a Long Island escort named Leanne who claims about a year after Gilbert went missing, she was roughed up in a sexual encounter with former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke in an Oak Beach house party where alcohol and cocaine were prevalent. Many of these characteristics are shared by the Gilgo Four. In other words, he *could* have actually been trying to *save* her. A new Lifetime movie exploring aspects of the so-called Long Island Serial Killer case depicts the arrest ofJohn Bittrolff, who was convicted of the 1990s killings of two women in the same area. Trump asks for mistrial in E. Jean Carroll rape lawsuit, U.S. to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status, First Republic Bank seized by regulators, then sold to JPMorgan Chase, Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, damaging up to 100 homes, More Americans escape Sudan as country teeters on edge of civil war, Mental health of LGBTQ youth worsening in current "hostile political climate", Stray bullet strikes college baseball player during game, Texas police say, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo found dead at 46, The Hunt for the Long Island Serial Killer, Members of the Suffolk County Police Department search an area of beach where police found human remains nearby, on April 5, 2011 in Babylon, New York. Erin Moriarty: What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Shannan? Terms of service | 5 foot or under, 100 pounds. Sara Karnes: she picked old '40s Hollywood glamour the way her curls fell that day just looked so '40s with the makeup and everything like that. First, Chief of Detectives Dominick Varrone suddenly found himself out of a job. John Oliva: if I'm the chief of department and I've got dead bodies on the side of the road, I would take any help I could get. In early 2012, weeks after the discovery of Shannan Gilbert's remains, her family's attorney John Ray dug in trying to understand what had happened to her. Sharing her story for the first time on television. Your ad choices | John Ray, the attorney for Shannan Gilbert's family, says he is determined to prove her death wasn't an accident. The wrongful death claim has been dismissed. Geraldine Hart was a career FBI agent assigned to the Long Island bureau when the agency was cut out of the serial killer investigation. Missy Cann wants are answers and justice. Back in Scarborough, the family heard from Cruz that Megan was missing. Per Vice, her disappearance was preceded by a call to 911, during which she said: "They are trying to kill me. Gus Garcia Roberts: it speaks to a complete absence of trust in the law enforcement system in Suffolk County which, regardless of any veracity of that graffiti, I think is completely deserved. Google the whores of Babylon and have you ever seen the movie eyes wide shut? About Us | But Hart insists Shannan's case is still open. Change). Burke was a police officer when the investigation started and was later promoted to the chief of police in 2011. The former chief of police was sent to prison for 46 months back in 2016 after pleading guilty to a civil rights violation arising out of an assault on a local man. Cuff tells News 12 he knew for years that he was an enemy of Burke. Geraldine Hart: Not having the FBI involved consistently from the beginning has definitely hindered this investigation. I was just very, like, confused on why she, like, wasn't around. Suffolk County Police told "48 Hours" that they believe the caller was in fact Melissa's killer. Guys, I am telling you this is an OUTRAGEOUS claim. "We were dealing with a serial killer.". I just want her to know she has a special place in my heart, and no one can ever replace her or come above her. He was born in This case is not the first time Burke was investigated; back in the early 1990s, he was monitored by Internal Affairs for his relationship with a prostitute. Varrone worked with the FBI to come up with a profile of the killer. Megan's aunt Elizabeth Meserve says the family encouraged Megan to leave Cruz. I pray, but I don't know. Chief Dom Varrone says Akeem Cruz was already on his radar. Many have long suspected that when the DAs office refused help from the FBI on the LISK case, Burke was the reason behind that. But my main focus was to find my sister. Gus Garcia-Roberts: He was charming. Shaheen Tokhi is the associate producer. Investigators made a full match to Bittrolff after obtaining a plastic cup from his trash. Save custody of her son? What she didnt tell her family was that she was advertising her services on Craigslist and on occasion through an escort agency called James Bond Entertainment as Chloe. No wonder it's been the subject of numerous films and documentary projects. Geraldine Hart: We are fully committed to this investigation. (It's the second dramatization of the case in the last year. Or maybe it was something even more sinister than that. Maureen and three others were found first and dubbed the Gilgo Four. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 'We all knew Burke did it:' Prosecution's star witness returns to the stand for trial of former Suffolk DA, top aide, Retired Suffolk lieutenant kept meticulous calendars of Spota, McPartland conversations, Key witness says he had conversations with Spota, McPartland about Burke cover-up, Ex-Suffolk detective 'feared for everything' during alleged Spota cover-up, DA Spota says he never spoke with Bellone about Burke, 2011 letter from Spota denies James Burke misdeeds, Former Suffolk officer admits he took part in Loeb beating during testimony in Spota trial. He reiterated thatto Oxygen.com this week, noting that there is no evidence that he is aware of to suggest that he had anything to do with the victims of the Long Island Serial Killer case. Sara Karnes: We were office besties. it is crazy to have so many bodies and not one clue or shred of DNA of a second person. View Tribute Book. First published on December 12, 2020 / 11:13 PM. In an explosive news conference on Thursday, Ray brought forth a Long Island escort named Leanne who claims about a year after Gilbert went missing, she was roughed up in a sexual encounter with former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke in an Oak Beach house party where alcohol and cocaine were prevalent. he definitely encountered gilbert that morning and called her mother. Can someone enlighten me?? These claims are significant as it puts James in the same area where a possible LISK victim disappeared. Geraldine Hart: They're a stranger to the victim which is unusual in homicide cases. Read More:Where is Dr. Peter Hackett Now? So how would Maureen meet anybody on that Sunday? Former Chief of Detectives Dom Varrone says the police questioned her client and dismissed him as a suspect but took her disappearance seriously. Her family filed missing person's reports and drove from home in upstate New York to Oak Beach, desperate to find her. in 2017. Ive had a feeling it has to be someone in Law Enforcement because they really did a shitty job with the whole investigation and on purpose I assume. The woman whose disappearance set off the search that led to the discovery of the Gilgo Four was Shannan Gilbert. "Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother's Hunt for Justice debuts on Saturday at 8/7c on Lifetime. Undisclosed investigation. Gregory McLaughlin is producer-editor. "Oh my God, Melissa's finally calling me." Her sister Missy believed Maureen had gone to Manhattan for a modeling shoot, and when she was on her way home, made that call from Penn Station. Eventually, police would find 10 sets of remains in the area. He also fought for andwon access to the 911 calls made that night. The family learned that Shannan's driver dropped her off at her client's house at 2 a.m. Nearly 3 hours later, Shannan made a panicked 23-minute call to 911. Burke faces a second federal count of conspiracy to obstruct a federal, civil rights investigation. Whatever the reason, I do feel like everyone needs to be investigated to the fullest extent in this case, no matter how small the lead or outrageous the claims might seem. GERALDINE HART [to reporters]: Today we are announcing that Jane Doe #6 has been positively identified as Valerie Mack. ", In her first TV interview, Lily Waterman tells "48 Hours" that if she could talk to her mom, she would tell her how much she loves her. It seems very desolate, very isolated, cold. In January 2020, Hart's office released images of evidence in the serial killer case. ( m. Missy Cann: Because this person, whoever killed my sister, thought that they were taking away my sister's voice. All rights reserved. James Burke, Suffolk County Chief of Police As detailed by Vice in a March, 2016 story titled The Strange Rise and Violent Fall of Long Islands Dirtiest Police Burke has a long history with law enforcement, beginning when he was a 14 year old witness in a brutal murder case, involving a 13-year old boy who had stones shoved down his throat in 1979. Burke and Spota met in 1979, when the brutal murder of a boy found behind a school rocked the peaceful suburb of Smithtown, Long Island. Lily says her memories of her mother's boyfriend Akeem Cruz are clear. As amazing as she was, was as tormented as she was. There are remains of the victims at Gilgo that may be attributed to the handiwork of Mr. Bittrolff and that investigation is continuing, he said, asPIX 11 reported., A spokesperson for the Suffolk County Police Department told Oxygen.com that they wouldn't discuss whetherBittrolff is, or ever was, asuspect in those murders.Biancavilla did not immediately return Oxygen.coms request for comment this week.. Missy Cann: "I'll see you in the morning I love you." Gus Garcia-Roberts: Tom Spota by then had taken a shine to the kid and had taken him under his wing to some extent. In the podcast, Christopher claimed that the bag contained sex toys, pornography, and what seemed to be snuff films that could link James to the LISK. Gilberts final hours are a mystery. "It's extraordinarily complex" says Hart. Erin Moriarty: So, you're saying that they're still investigating her death? If you have information on the Long Island serial killer case, visit GilgoNews.com. Many of the Gilgo Beach victims, whose bodies were discovered in December2010 wrapped in burlap and discarded on a stretch of Ocean Parkway, had also been strangled. The bodies of both women were dumped in wooded areas in the same area on Long Island's south shore: Tangredi in East Patchogue and McNamee in nearbyNorth Shirley, the Associated Press reported in 2017. Spota was convicted on multiple charges in 2019 and is awaiting sentencing.). WebAmerican Actor James Burke was born on 24th September, 1886 in New York City, NY, USA and passed away on 23rd May 1968 Los Angeles, CA, USA aged 81. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. And he says he was not allowed to share what he knew about the serial killer with the new investigators. Part of you is like missing. Patti Aronofsky is the senior producer. In 2016, James Burke was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to depriving a person of civil rights and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice in connection to the Christopher Loeb case. And their families embraced Shannan's mother Mari as one of their own. He also is reported to have refused help from the FBI to work the LISK case, an act that makes many suspicious of what he might have been hiding. I didn't know what, but I know something had to be wrong. Ray vows he'll never stop fighting for Shannan. John Ray: We have 11 dead people, and nobody's found anybody connected to them? Brewer was drugging them. Burke, who was named Suffolk police chief Someone has her this isn't normal. John Oliva: One of the highest paid departments in the country. However, in 2017, Robert Biancavilla, then an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County,suggested a possible link. Lynn Barthelemy: We get on the internet. Weeks, and then months, passed with no word from Shannan. Something that frustrates attorney John Ray. If she trusted Michael Pak soo much, why did she refuse to get into his car the night she disappeared?? The remains of Jane Doe No. "She called at a train station in New York From Penn Station. He decided to retrace the path authorities believe Shannan travelled. James Burke is a former Suffolk County Police Chief who got shrouded in accusations of being involved in Long Island serial killings after rumors of his prior involvements with local sex workers came to light, placing him at a possible crime scene. Still on the phone, she fled the client's home, and ran to a neighbor's door-- and then another's -- begging for help. Dominick Varrone was chief of the Suffolk County Detectives in 2010. Also the borough of Queens is geographically connected to Long Island:,,conveniently. Mr. Spota and Mr. McPartland, 55, had each And then she disappeared. John Ray: It wasn't an accident if it were an accident, her belongings wouldn't have been found behind Peter Hackett's home, her jeans wouldn't have been removed. ". I agree Pak is odd, in that terrible 2011 cable doc about the case I got the vibe he set up Gilberts date with Brewer. James married the love his life, Erin Burke, on September 29th, 1984. He served New York as a proud Police Officer for over 30 years. Starting out as an NYPD officer and retiring as a Detective Sergeant for the Nassau County Police Department. He enjoyed life to the fullest, but above all, he loved his family, especially his wife and children. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. She said that in 2011, she partied with James at an unknown Oak Beach home, where they engaged in rough sex. According to her, there were various drugs at the place, and she saw James use cocaine on a few occasions. It was the search for Shannan Gilbert that led to the discovery of the Gilgo Four. Dominick Varrone: That hurt the investigation and the public's perception. Missy Cann: [in tears] It's really, really hard. I just want answers. Along with that, as he hasnt faulted, we assume that he is also cooperating with the authorities when required. He reiterated thatto. Lily was just 3 years old when Megan vanished. BUT, the ex-chief of SCPD, in some interview on a very small, no viewership youtube channel seems to indicate otherwise, and backs up Paks claim (it seems like he didnt know, or just forgot, that the SCPDs policy was going to be no comment on this). I didn't realize that part of it. Melissa moved from her home in Buffalo to New York City to work as a hairdresser. JOHN RAY [in the marsh]: To say that she drowned, as was theorized, is on its face an absurdity. Using new genetic genealogy tools, investigators were finally able to identify one of the victims found on Ocean Parkway. Sitemap | Missy Cann can't forget the late-night phone call she received from her sister Maureen Brainard Barnes in the summer of 2007. Missy Cann: She didn't run away. I couldn't process it because my whole life, I thought that she just got, like, stolen, and she never came back. It wasn't modeling that brought her to New York. Dave Schaller [2011 interview]: She was an amazing person, she really was. James Burke was the top investigator in Spotas office, at one point, before he was recommended for the Chief of Departments job with Suffolk Police. She was gone," Cann tells "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty.