UPDATE: DA Identifies Fifth Body In Gilgo Beach Investigation

Four additional sets of human remains discovered in the Gilgo Beach area in late March and early April are not related to the body parts of four young prostitutes found in the region in late 2010, the Suffolk County District Attorney said.

At a press conference Monday afternoon in Hauppauge, Suffolk DA Thomas Spota said one set of remains appears to the head, hands and forearms of Jessica Taylor, 20. She was found dead in 2003 in a wooded area of Manorville in eastern Suffolk County. The second set of remains relating to the Taylor case were found on March 29 along Ocean Parkway.

“She is the fifth victim identified in this investigation,” said Spota, who noted that a previous police investigation revealed that Taylor had worked as a prostitute in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Spota also said the partial remains of an unidentified woman first discovered in Manorville in November of 2000 were also located in the Gilgo Beach area during the most recent search by law enforcement officials. The latest set of remains involving this female victim were located on April 4 along Ocean Parkway.

The manner in which the remains of Taylor and the unidentified woman were disposed of is similar, Spota noted. However, he does not believe there is a connection between these two women and the original four bodies found along Ocean Parkway at the end of 2010.

The third person found is the body of a female toddler believed to be between the ages of 18 months and 24 months at the time of her death. Spota said the body showed no apparent signs of blunt trauma and a cause of death has not been determined.

A fourth person, an Asian male believed to be in his late teens or early 20s at the time of his death, was also found. Spota said the male shows signs of a violent death but noted no connection to other bodies found in the Gilgo Beach area.

Richard Dormer, Suffolk County Police Commissioner, said at Monday afternoon’s press conference that police will continue the search for Shannan Gilbert, 24, a New Jersey woman believed to be a Craigslist escort. Police said Gilbert was last seen being driven by a man to meet a possible client in the Oak Beach area.