This comes on the heels of another twist in the investigation from earlier in the day. A man believed to be the last person to see Gilbert surrendered his SUV to detectives investigating the deaths of four women whose bodies were found on a deserted Long Island beach highway, police said Thursday.
That none of the bodies was Gilbert's was a relief to Joseph Brewer, who met her on Craigslist and had his home raided and vehicle seized during the investigation. A mile stretch of Ocean Parkway was shut down most of the morning Thursday so to ensure police didn't miss any potential clues or additional corpses, said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer.
Dormer said authorities confiscated the vehicle as part of their ongoing investigation into a possible serial killer.
He said there are no suspects in the deaths of the four women, who have yet to be identified, nor were there any updates on the disappearance of the New Jersey woman or a Maine woman who also worked as a Craigslist escort and was last seen on Long Island in June. He agreed to give up his vehicle and there are no suspects at this time.
Meanwhile, state police provided local investigators with 10 police dogs as they expanded their search for additional bodies. The four bodies were discovered within the past week scattered along a quarter-mile section of the highway. Police believe the corpses had been systematically dumped there at different times over at least 18 months. The first body was located Saturday as police were searching for clues into the disappearance of Gilbert, who was last seen in Oak Beach, a gated community of million-dollar seafront homes.
