In August 2017, Sarra Gibert was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the maximum allowed by law. All were young women in their 20s. Shannan was last seen running on the streetsof Oak Beach after leaving her client Joseph Brewers home. The first was loosing Shannan. "When I started the project, it was 2015. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Lawenforcement sources have said in the past that Shannan allegedly told the dispatcher theyre trying to kill me, during the call,Fox Newsreports. Sarra is held without bail and is set for a preliminary hearing in court on Tuesday. It was now 5:21 am. Mari had then claimed custody of her grandson. Chief Varrone says the local police responding to Colletti's call knew nothing about Shannan's own 23-minute 911 call. "My sister had other dreams, you know. "I don't want anybody to think that -- we have a Jack the Ripper runnin' around Suffolk County with -- blood drippin' from a knife," Dormer told reporters.. One by one, the bodies were identified, and with each name, came the story of a troubled life cut short. Then, five years after the discovery of Shannans body, the Gilbert family once again made "I walked out the front door with her," Schaller recalled. "Sarra is, from all the evidence, clearly not responsible for what shes done," Newsday quoted Ray saying in 2016. Hackett the former head of the Suffolk County Emergency Medical Services had become an integral part of the private, secluded Oak Beach community by the time 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert, a Craigslist sex worker, disappeared in May 2010 after meeting a client in the community. Sarra then stripped Mari naked and removed her jewelry. "She absolutely hated it". "So why did he pick, you know, a sex worker if he didn't want sex?" "I knew that it was a possibility but I really just wanted to keep hope," said Sherre. "Immediately, I started to panic," she said. But he would make a call to Shannan Gilbert's mother that she alleges linked him to the night she vanished. Mari Gilberts deathwhich is revealed in an end-credits caption in Lost Girls came as a shock to all on July 23, 2016. She's a prostitute. The story of her life is very horrible. In the upcoming Netflix film "Lost Girls," Mari Gilbert (played by Amy Ryan) becomes enraged after the police and the media only refer to her missing daughter Shannan Gilbert along with several dead women found along the southern shore of Long Island in demeaning ways. "I knew I wasn't going to look, walk, and sound exactly like Mari, but there was an essence, or a gesture that I was hoping to pick up," Ryan adds. This content is imported from youTube. "And the killer said some pretty horrible things to Amanda," Cohen told Moriarty. That's what was odd. But the police were learning a lot about him based on his voice. Ray also said that she was going to kill her own son, but her boyfriend stopped her. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Due to the control exercised by Hackett, Shannans family believes she experienced pain, suffering, anguish, agony, and knowledge and fear of her imminent death, according to the lawsuit. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. The Long Island Serial Killer Case, Explained, He was sort of the local big shot in Oak Beach, Robert Kolker, the author of . "How could this tiny 23-year-old get that far into it - into there?" She lived just 10 miles from the killer's dumping ground. Shannan was last seen running on the streetsof Oak Beach after leaving her client Joseph Brewers home. However, the prosecution and members of Sarras family told a story of a devious, manipulative young woman who tried to excuse her drug addiction as a mental illness. "Could Shannan Gilbert's mother invent this even if she wanted to? "'She's 24 She's not on any psych meds. "Which told me the second chapter of Mari's story. Read an excerpt of "Lost Girls"Kolker: Who let down the lost girls? Hackett said in his response to 48 Hours that he had been at home sleeping with his wifethe night Shannan disappeared. At the heart of these efforts was Mari Gilbert (played in the movie by The Offices Amy Ryan), who worked to bring attention to the the murder of her 24-year-old daughter, Shannan. he replied. She also beat her with a fire extinguisher and sprayed her with foam from the extinguisher. The suit claims Dr. Hackett improperly treated Shannan Gilbert and points to what he allegedly said in the phone call to Shannan's mother as proof. Although Brewer refused to go on camera, he admitted to "48 Hours" that he solicited Shannan online, but, he said, not for sex. "Do you think the person she went out with that night is the same person who killed her?" Sarra's mental health struggles are foreshadowed in the film. They cant sleep, Laster tells PEOPLE. He nowreportedly lives in Florida. And she said, 'No.' "He denied calling my mother," said Sherre Gilbert. Melissa Cann simply wishes police had worked harder to find Maureen. In January 2020, police changed Gilberts cause of death to inconclusive rather than accidental, Daily Freeman reported. Maureen checked into a Super 8 hotel in Manhattan, and like the other young women, the 25-year-old seemed to vanish in the night. Suffolk County police told "48 Hours" that they believe the caller was, in fact, Melissa's killer. Anytime there was anything going on he was helpful.. Moriarty asked Sarra. Police say Maris body was discovered in her daughters home in Ellenville on Saturday. FacebookShannan Gilbert in a Facebook photo. Brewer claims he doesn't know what set Shannan off or why she made that call to 911. She has two other daughters. Gilbert family attorney John Ray told PIX11 that in the months leading up to Mari's horrific death, Sarra had drowned her pet puppy and threatened to kill her 8-year-old son. But Sarra's sister Stevie Smith disagreed regarding the motive, testifying that Sarra was jealous of her relationship with their mother and "I believe she would have killed me too.". By then, she had been missing for eight days. "Today they found a pair of jeans a pair of shoes the pocketbook with identification in the pocketbook belonging to Shannan Gilbert," then-Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer told reporters. "48 Hours" uncovers missing escort Shannan Gilbert's final minutes "We went to all the houses around the area to, like, knock on their doors and just say, 'Hey listen, did you see my sister?'" But she was of age and all I could say was 'be careful' and call her all the time.". Mental illness is a serious disease. ", Dr. Hackett later admitted in letters to "48 Hours" that he had called Shannan's mother, but he said it was later in the week and he did so at the request of friends who were searching for Shannan to be "supportive." "You have no question about that?" Garbus knows viewers may likely be floored by the news of Mari's death at the end of the film. starring Amy Ryan as the desperate mother who casts suspicion on Hackett (played by Reed Birney). "I feel like now that they found her body that is kinda pretty much it for the investigation. I'm like that's -- 'they're gonna eat you alive.' Melissa Cann says no one at the local police department took her fears seriously and the family went to look for Maureen themselves. Gilbert worked a variety of jobs, including serving as a retail manager, teaching assistant, and Walmart employee, but continued to face personal struggles. Even the family's attorney, Steven Cohen, couldn't get police to take notice. Based on Robert Kolker's book of the same name, the film is centered on Mari Gilbert, Shannan's outspoken mother, who worked alongside several other victims' families to press Long Island police into action. "No. (The) last time I talked to him, it was seven years ago at least, and he was saying that he was basically unemployable, Kolker told. "But Chief, she was only 23 years of age. Shortly after Gilberts body was discovered, Hackett put his Oak Beach house on the market in 2012 and moved away from the area. Theres no proof that he even saw her that night, but he did call Mari, Kolker toldOxygen.com. "We hear the conversation between the two of them and she's just staring at him and not acting rationally. When her mom died, Sherre wrote about it on Facebook the next day, sharing that Sarra had battled mental illness for more than two years. "It's possible. Seriously, a person gets a lot of phone calls," he said. Two neighbors signed affidavits -- one stating the doctor had given him "a prescription injectable steroid" and another claiming that Hackett "provided prescriptions for Oak Beach residents.". "After I read the scripts, I Googled it and came across, I guess it was a Wikipedia page," Ryan says. They were traveling together, coordinating. Mari Gilbert Killed: Daughter Sarra Had Schizophrenia, Attorney "Well, you're in muck; they're soaking wet; they're soaked with mud they're weighing you down she's running in a panicked state and the muck and the mud and they just come off her as she continues to run," Varrone explained. He raised a family there, was their emergency services guy, their security guy. Something doesnt, No , the murder happened in Ohio . About a week after Melissa disappeared, her 15-year-old sister, Amanda, got a call from Melissa's phone. WebMari Gilbert (born 22 June 1964) was an American advocate from Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. They're on their way,' She just looked at me and she ran right out the door.". Shortly after Gilberts body was discovered, Hackett put his Oak Beach house on the market in 2012 and moved away from the area,Newsdayreports. Sarra seemed like she had it together. One of Mari's three surviving daughters, the then 27-year-old Sarra had been previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in and out of mental health facilities. Hackett had served as head for the Suffolk County Emergency Medical Services when theTWA Flight 800burst into flames, killing all 230 passengers on board in 1996. Shannan Gilbert went missing after a terrifying 911 call in May 2010. She believed her sister belonged in a place where she could be treated and not in a prison. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}'Creed III' Is a Big F*ck You to Rocky, Watch All 'The Lord of the Rings' Movies In Order, Heres How to Watch All the Batman Movies in Order, The 78 Best Documentaries on Netflix to Watch Now, The Hilarious Reason Why Chris Pine Cut His Hair, Chris Pine Tells All About Harry Styles SpitGate, Movie Sequels That Are Better Than the Original, 40 Photos That Prove Sly Stallone Was a Style Icon. Authorities said they thought Shannans death wasnt connected and might have been a drowning. It took nearly a month for police to connect Shannan's desperate call to the missing persons report her family had filed in New Jersey, where Shannan lived. That he had treated Shannan and had medicated her," said Ray. "I was like, 'Be safe.' '", "This is all on the audiotape," Varrone said. She was the first woman to disappear in 2007. Mari Gilbert felt that Shannans disappearance wasnt being treated with urgency, and that her daughter was being dismissed because she was a sex worker. The These are all the jobs she called and applied for call center, data entry and the list goes on and on," Cann said, showing off a list. A young woman connected to the unsolved Long Island Serial Killer case is facing possible life in prison for the stabbing death of her mother. She spoke to the press, putting pressure on police and ensuring that Shannan wouldnt be forgotten. However, Shannans family, who has maintained the woman's death was not an accident, believes the doctor may have had something to do with the woman'sdeath and filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Hackett in 2012, which is still active today. "I was terrified," Barthelemy said. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Over time, they can develop serious medical malfunctions., (Local police did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment, and have not publicly discussed a motive in the case. Israel Nieves was so jealous of James Rodriguez. Words cant even describe the amount of pain and heartache I feel everyday for you & mom. Pak told Colletti he was looking for Shannan. WSHU | Howeverin an update of the case in January, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart called her cause of death "inconclusive.". And he's on a mission.". Her four daughters are Shannan, Sherre, Sarrah, and Stevie. He wouldn't go on camera, but in a text message, Pak says that he "never touched her" and maintains that he had nothing to do with Shannan's disappearance. They learned that Shannan and her driver had left New York City shortly after midnight on May 1, 2010, and headed to a gated community in Oak Beach. Sarra was arrested at the scene with blood on her clothing. We may earn a commission from these links. A year & a half of hope, prayers & dreams.People say I have a tragic life because of my circumstances but one thing is for sure. Sit down in that chair. She didn't know it then, but the mysterious events of the next few hours would forever link her to four young women - whose bodies were found wrapped in burlap -- and spark one of the largest murder investigations in Long Island history. "It absolutely makes no sense that she's found where she is, except that someone else put her there or killed her there," said Gilbert family attorney John Ray. ", Oddly, despite working closely with Mari on Shannan's disappearance, Ray also claimed Sarra's belief that Mari was demonic was partly based in truth. "The story of these women is the story about a part of America where people have few options and where some people make desperate or risky decisions," said journalist Bob Kolker, who has written a new book about the Long Island cases, called "Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery." "I said, 'Well, I called the police they are on their way to bring her back," Colletti said. "Her driver dropped her off and she was there for quite a while and then for some reason, she started to panic.". Sarra heard voices that urged her to perform violent acts, New York Daily News reported. She called her mother and said come over. Schaller says Amber hated the person she'd become: a drug addict who turned tricks to support her habit. Am I personally troubled by it? "Sexually explicit things as to what he had done to Melissa, sexually explicit things as to what he was going to do to Amanda.". Dr. Michael M. Baden conducted the autopsy and said she might have been murdered. In July 2007, Maureen left her home in Norwich, Conn., and boarded a train to New York City. Over the past couple of days she began to hear voices. She just kept staring at me and going, 'Help me, help me, help me. But when Amber didn't call or come home, says Schaller, no one in her family even looked for her. It worked. There is not an iota of evidence in any of this litigation.. Journalist and author Robert Kolker now wonders if solving the mystery has ever been a police priority. Dr. Hackett admits he has treated friends and neighbors, but denies he ever saw or treated Shannan. "I could see a car come and stopping, coming a little bit and stopping," he said. "I believe that he is between -- his late 20s and his late 30s," Cohen said. "Peter Hackett told me that Shannan was at his house, that he ran a halfway house for people who wanted to get off the street and that Shannan was there," said Mari Gilbert. Gilbert's remains were recovered on Dec. 13, 2011, and officials believed the cause of her death was drowning. | True Crime All of a sudden, I heard screaming out here and banging on that door. By all accounts, he really aggressively put himself in the center of things whenever anything was going on there, he said. Mari was alive and kicking. in 2011 he denied ever seeing Shannan that night but said he had called the family to be supportive after getting Maris number from Shannans boyfriend and driver when the pair came to the neighborhood to look for Shannan in the days after she disappeared. And she stabbed her to death.. Powered by. Mari also may have had temporary custody of Sarras son, Daily Freeman reported. Mari had What would kill a 23-year-old woman? Barthelemy wondered. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "No," she exclaimed. An autopsy ruled Mari Gilberts death a homicide due to multiple stab wounds. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 5: Jessica Taylor, an escort missing since 2003; dismembered, Victim No. "Mari was a lifetime practitioner of witchcraft and apparently of black magic," Ray said in the same Newsday report. The tragedies and illness are often intertwined, says Dottie Laster, a private investigator and missing-persons specialist who helped the Gilbert family search for Mari Gilberts older daughter, Shannan. Sherre Gilbert says her sister was desperately trying to make a better life for herself. The book Lost Girls by journalist Robert Kolker served as the basis of the film, and in it Kolker offers details of Gilberts life that didnt make it to the screen. Did you ever see her? Mari died on July 23, 2016, in the apartment building the "I was just hysterical, totally hysterical," said Barthelemy. Meserve tells PEOPLE she became close with the Gilbert family after they were linked by the Gilgo Beach killings in Long Island. "I believe my sister needs a voice needs her pride back needs the respect she had before this all happened," said Melissa Cann. Mental illness had affected both Mari, 52, and Sarra, 27, according to Elizabeth Meserve, aunt of Long Island serial killer victim Megan Waterman. "And this voice is saying, 'Oh, this isn't Melissa,'" Cohen explained. Upon information and belief, on or about May 1, 2010, at Defendant Hacketts aforesaid address, Defendant Hackett induced, coerced, overreached, and persuaded Shannan Gilbert to enter his aforesaid premises and to accept the aforesaid treatment and medications he provided and administered to her, the lawsuit said. Councilor Matt Garcia was shot dead in a suburban driveway as he chatted with a friend in Fairfield City, California. Chief Varrone insists police didn't know about that call until months later. By then, Amber had been missing from their home on Long Island for three months. "And he said, 'Do you know what I did to your sister?' She has been charged with second degree murder. She was pursuing that. He says the internet has made prostitution more accessible, but also more dangerous. By the time police arrived on the scene at 6:10am, Shannan Gilbert had vanished into the night and was never seen again. That amount -- $1,500 -- was almost six times Amber's going rate. "He wanted to kill her.". Mari Gilbert with her daughters (left to right) Stevie Smith, Sarra Gilbert, and Sherre Gilbert, with attorney John Ray and retired police detective William Mahoney. First published on July 20, 2013 / 11:39 PM. "The area in and around Gilgo Beach has been used to discard human remains for some period of time," a police officer said at a press conference. The Gilberts say they immediately filed a missing persons report, but with no news, they drove 140 miles from their home in upstate New York to Oak Beach, Long Island, to look for Shannan themselves. "She sounds not very coherent, not very rational.". "I don't believe he said that. Sherre, Sarras sister, spoke about Sarra after her sentencing and said they tried to get Sarrah help, but she would get better for a short period of time and then get worse again, People reported. We tried to get Sarra help many times since she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in early 2014 and she would get better and then her condition would get worse., Laster says she genuinely liked Sarra. "You called Mari on your wife's cell phone on the third on that Monday when Mari said you called," Moriarty told Hackett. , Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart called her cause of death "inconclusive. Intwo letters to CBSs 48 Hoursin 2011 he denied ever seeing Shannan that night but said he had called the family to be supportive after getting Maris number from Shannans boyfriend and driver when the pair came to the neighborhood to look for Shannan in the days after she disappeared.