All language subtitles for The Long Island Serial Killer

Hi. This is shannan.

How's it going?

I look even better in person.

Yeah. How much?

You're gonna have to
do better than that.

You won't be sorry,

you're just gonna have to
do better than that.

Uh huh, okay, okay.

What's your address?

Okay, just hold on one sec.

Uh huh.

Okay, can you just actually
text me the address?

I have to give it to my driver.

Okay.

Don't look at my phone.

Bye, mom. Sarra.

Bye.

Where you goin'?

I have a date.

I'll be back for mother's day.

Shannan.
Let me talk to joe.

He'll get you a job
at the walmart with me.

My apartment rent went up.

I need to make
some real money, mom.

You worry too much.
Love you.

Bye.

Why do you let her
get away with that, mom?

She's an adult, sarra.
What can I do?

Get your feet off the counter.

Thanks, mike.

I'll call when I'm done.

hey, how are you?
Come on in.

Hello?

Is this
shannan gilbert's mother?

Yeah, it is. Who's this?

I run a home
for wayward girls.

What? Who is this?

How do you know shannan?

Hello?

Oh my god.

Hi. It's shannan.
You know what to do.

Honey.
Call me. Please.

I love you.

Oh, this is gorgeous.

Way too expensive, honey.

You're worth it, mom.

Every penny.

Come on, get closer,
I want to get a photo.

Near jones beach.

Excuse me.

Yes, how can I help you, ma'am?

I want to report
a missing person.

My daughter.
My daughter shannan's missing.

How old is your daughter, ma'am?

She's 24.

She doesn't live with me,
she was visiting last weekend

and I haven't
heard from her since.

I called her cell
a bunch of times

and she's not picking up.

And then a man called me,
I didn't get his name,

he didn't tell me his name,

but he said he runs
a home for "wayward girls."

is she a sex worker, ma'am?

She does that sometimes, yeah.

Last Saturday night
she was on a call.

Then I found this address,
which is near here, right?

I'm not from long island.

Does she live here, ma'am?

She lives in jersey city.

Just a sec.

Okay, ma'am, here we are,
you're gonna have to

file that report in jersey city

and then they're gonna
send it on to us.

But keep in mind ma'am

that your daughter's
an adult in the sex industry.

It hasn't even been a week
since you've seen her.

Jersey city?

Those are the rules, ma'am.

hello?

I tried to help your
daughter but she's run away.

I'm really worried.

Wait. Hello?

He just called back, that man,
he just called me back!

You gotta do something!
You gotta do something!

We have to find where he is.

Let me take care of this.

I'm detective varrone.

You wanna tell me
what's going on?

This man's calling me
about my missing daughter.

He's called me twice now,
and then he hangs up.

- How long has she been missing?
- Since last weekend.

Have a seat.

So, explain to me,
somebody called?

He called and said he was
trying to help my daughter.

Do you know who he is?

No, I don't know who he is.

He talks, he says a few things
and then he gets off the phone.

- Did you try to call him back?
- Yes, I did.

I pushed and then
it was blocked.

Did he sound like a young man?
An older man?

I don't know.
I don't know.

He just said he was trying
to help my daughter so that,

and I've not heard
from my daughter.

All right. Well maybe
I can put a trace on that.

In the meantime,

why don't to give me
your number and if-

I was trying to make
a police report-

If I find out anything,
I'll call you back.

Where'd you take her?

What?

I haven't heard from
her for over a week.

Where'd you take her?

She wouldn't leave.

She was hiding behind the sofa.
She was acting all crazy.

Why? Did you give her drugs?

- No, of course not.
- Wait a minute.

After I dropped her off,
you guys left the house.

Shannan okayed it with me.

You were gone for something
like a quarter of an hour.

Did you take her to get drugs?

No.

Look, all I know is that
the girl was acting nuts.

Called 9-1-1.

She called for help?

Yeah. Talked to them
for over 20 minutes.

20 minutes?

Next thing I know,
she was out the door.

Get her out of here.

Okay, alright.

Shannan, what's wrong?

Okay. Just...

Shannan!
Where are you going?

- No, no! No!
- Shannan! Shannan!

What the hell, man?

No, help!

hello?

ah! Hello?

Help me.

Help me!

Help me, please.

Help me.
They're trying to kill me.

What? Who?
Who try and kill you?

Come in the house.
You're safe, here.

I'm going to call the police.

It's okay.

Soon as I said we'll
call the police, she run.

I see her running,
past the boat,

down a path to the beach.

No!

ahh!

Help me!

Oh, here he is.
Dom, you're late.

I know. I know, jimmy, sorry.
Too much paperwork.

Oh, come on.
You know tom spota?

Sure. Da spota.
Haven't seen you in a while.

How you been?

Keeping busy, you know.

Watching out for this one, here.

Right. You two go back.

Way back.

Took him off the streets
when he was a kid.

Burke?
A street kid?

Are you serious?

If it wasn't me,
this guy'd be in jail right now.

No way in hell he'd be a cop.

Come on.

If it wasn't for me,

your conviction record
would be garbage.

You know what?
You know what?

I should've, I should've
promoted that firehouse dog

instead of you.

Oh, don't make promises
you can't keep.

Give me a sec.

Grab me a beer?

Yeah, yeah.
Light beer.

Hi, did you get my text?

You shouldn't have
talked to those people.

Why not?

I haven't heard from
you for nearly a week.

This takes time, ma'am.

You really want to do something?

Bring me a piece
of her clothing,

something she wore recently
that hasn't been washed.

You mean like for a body search?

Sorry, but, yeah.

Just in case.

Sarra, shannan come on,
squeeze in.

Get closer and smile, please.
Sarra, smile.

Smile, smile,
there, there, good.

Always take pictures.

Where'd you get the money
for this, shannan?

Do you like it?

I love it.

It's beside the point.

Where'd you get the money?

Are you selling yourself
again, shannan?

How I make my money it's
none of your business, so-

everything you do
is my business.

I'm your mother.

Since when?

Oh, come on, please.
Don't start.

Wait, since I started
buying nice gifts?

Since I started
making good money?

Oh no, that is not true.

Well, okay, well you just
haven't really been

much of a mother
up until now. So-

I couldn't handle you, shannan.

Yeah. I know.

You can't handle
your boyfriends, either

and what they did
to sarra and, yeah.

What he did to sarra
you didn't get.

You were lucky.

You were in a foster home,
which was a hell of a lot better

than being with me.

Forgot I was lucky.

Can we not do this?
It's my birthday.

Happy birthday.

- She's in here.
- Thanks.

Ms. Gilbert, come in.

I've brought what you asked for.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

I'm sorry if I was
abrupt last night.

You caught me at a bad time.

I checked out those three
men that you spoke to.

The driver, the john,
the italian guy.

No criminal record,
no history of violence.

I still think
maybe your daughter,

she partied too hard

and she's out there
just trying to get it together.

Did you guys have
a fight recently?

Do you have kids, detective?

Even when they do
something wrong, you can't...

I asked her so many
times not to do this.

My daughter's not a bad girl.

She's incredibly bright.

She graduated
high school a year early.

She held down two jobs
when she was in nursing school.

She just made
some stupid choices.

We've all done that, right?

And I'm trying.

Please find her.

What makes you think
I can help you, ms. Gilbert?

Aren't the police doing
whatever they can?

They said that, yeah,

but they said they
traced the calls I got,

and I haven't heard a thing.

They just make excuses like
they're just sitting on this.

Okay. But what can
I do that they can't?

You're an ex-cop, aren't you?

That's what your ad said.
Don't you have connections, or?

You know why I'm an ex-cop?

Because I couldn't
stand the bureaucracy.

I know what these
guys were up against.

It takes time.

Shannan don't got time.

I don't have much money,
but I will give you

everything I got.

I don't just do
this for the money.

I'll call some people.
See what I can find out.

But until something,

I don't know,
substantial turns up,

it may not be much.

That's it.
What'd you find, boy?

What do you got?

Varrone.

You found what?

Oh my god.

Where?

They appear to be
four female bodies.

Strangled and wrapped in burlap.

Since they were buried
relatively close to one another,

I have to presume
that it's the same person

or persons behind this.

Looks like you have
a serial on your hands, dom.

Could any of them
be this girl here?

She was wearing a blue,
velvety hoodie and jeans.

You got my message.
Is shannan one of them?

I called suffolk county.

They wouldn't tell me
a damn thing.

I spoke to the coroner's office.

She's not one of them.

Oh my god.

And the women
have been identified

as maureen brainard-barnes,

melissa barthelemy,

megan waterman,
and amber lynn costello.

All four were sex workers.

Their bodies were
discovered when the police

were searching for another
woman, shannan gilbert,

who disappeared
on the same beach.

This is leanne kavanaugh
reporting live.

Shannan's probably dead, too.

No, don't even think that.

No, you don't think so?
It seems pretty obvious, ma.

Shannan is alive.
I have to believe that.

Did you know her well?

My best friend, melissa.

I'm looking for
my daughter, shannan.

When no one heard
from her after a while,

her family went to the police

and as soon as the cops
found out she was a sex worker,

I feel like they
just stopped caring.

They didn't even
try to find her?

No.

Not even after he was
calling her sister, not really.

Wait, who was
calling her sister?

Some man.

He called like eight times

off of melissa's cell phone

and then the last call he said,

said that melissa was a whore

and that's why he killed her.

Oh my god.

Dr. Hackett?

Yeah?

I'm detective varrone,
suffolk county police.

I was wondering if you can
answer a few questions

concerning a young woman
by the name of shannan gilbert.

Yeah, sure.

Could you open the door,
mr. Hackett?

It's dr. Hackett.

She appears to be missing.

She was last seen in this area,

early morning, may 1st,

running down
this road, actually.

Did you happen to see her?

No. No.
I heard about her.

The next day some asian guy
came by asking the same thing.

Said he was her driver,
or something.

She hasn't been found?

Not yet.

A couple of days later,
someone called her mother

saying that he was
trying to help her,

but he didn't leave a number.

Do you know anything
about those calls?

No.

They were traced back
to your wife's phone, sir.

How did you get
mari gilbert's number?

Okay. Okay.
I, I was concerned.

I was offering my help.

That's all.

That's all, as part of our
neighborhood association.

We're a very closely
knit community.

How did you get her
mother's number, sir?

Her driver must have
given it to me.

It's not a crime what I did.

I felt sorry for her.

According to mary,
you said in one of your calls

that you ran a home
for wayward girls.

Is that true?

I don't recall saying that.

Have you ever run
a home like that?

No. Of course not.

Have you ever come in contact
or met shannan gilbert?

Absolutely not.

You're talking to me
like I was some criminal.

I just wanted to help.

They found the guy who
was making those calls.

He lives in oak beach.

- Who?
- A dr. Peter hackett.

He used to work for
suffolk county medical

until he got fired
for not showing up on the job.

Is he under arrest?

There is no evidence connecting
him with shannan, mari.

Then why did he call me?

He said he tried to help her.
How did he help her?

Wait a minute.

After I dropped her off,
you guys left the house.

Shannan okayed it with me.

You were gone for something
like a quarter of an hour.

That's how he helped her.

He gave her drugs.

Dr. Hackett?

Dr. Hackett?

I need to talk to
you about shannan.

He wasn't home.

What? Who?

Peter hackett.

Mari, what were you
doing at hackett's?

I think he sold her drugs.

What? Come on, mari.

You ain't got no proof of that.

He's a doctor, isn't he?

Mari.

I don't know what else to do.

Maureen brainard barnes.

She was last seen at a bus
terminal in manhattan

looking for a ride home.

Eleanor morris,
a woman she was close to,

told us about a call
made to another sex worker

just days after maureen
disappeared.

He described her to a t,
said she was working

in a house of
prostitution in queens,

which we know was not true.

The call was traced
to a cell tower on long island,

a place, according
to mrs. Morris,

maureen never visited.

The long island police
didn't investigate,

three and a half years later

when maureen's body
was discovered.

If you have any information
regarding this case,

the family asks that you
please call this number

845-kl5-00

hi. This is mari gilbert.

My daughter is missing too,

and if anyone wants
to talk to me,

I have a pi who's
trying to help.

845-555-3464.

Thanks.

hello?

Mrs. Gilbert?

Who's this?

I'm maureen's friend.
I got your message.

I'm very sorry
about your daughter.

Thank you.

I'm sorry about maureen.

She was such a good person.

She loved her kids.

Everything she did,
she did for those kids.

So many people loved maureen.

Nothing we could do.

Cops obviously don't care.

You said you found
someone who does.

Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.

Still, I think it's up to us
to figure this out.

I just don't know
where to start.

Where do we start?

Sarra, can you come up
and give me a hand?

Sarra?

Mom, I'm done.

It's ready to go.

Oh, good. Thank you.
Thank you.

Thank you, honey.

- Ma?
- Yeah.

If it were me,
would you do this for me?

Of course, I would.
How can you even ask that?

I love you both equal.
Don't you know that?

Oh honey,

I know I've not always
been a good mom,

but I'm trying
to make up for it.

I love you both so much.

You're everything to me.

You don't love her more?

No. No, no, no.
Of course not.

And that's about it for me.

Well, five cats and a dream.

Megan waterman logged
onto craigslist at 12:05

the night she went missing.

Video cameras show her
leaving the hotel

where she was staying at 1:30.

She never returned.

And she told me she
was raped by a neighbor

when she was six.

She was so beaten down.

What's going on
in suffolk county?

Look, if it wasn't for me,
those four women

would've never been found.

Their relatives
reported the missing.

The police did nothing.

Why? Because they were escorts.

Does that make them worthless?

- Of course not.
- Then why?

What are they doing?
What are the police?

What the hell are
the police doing?

Hey, give them a break.

I was one of them.

Detective varrone
has initiated a search

of the beaches
near hackett's house.

They'll find her.

Be patient.

They think she's dead,
don't they?

Is that what you think too?

Oh god.

They appear to be the remains
of four adult females,

one adult male,
and a female child.

The male was dressed
in women's clothing.

We're running dna tests,
but I can definitely tell you

that none of these six
bodies is shannan gilbert.

They were buried long
before she disappeared.

Thanks, lucille.

You owe me.

Maureen was missing for
over three and a half years.

I told her kids
we must never give up hope.

What do I tell her kids now?

How do we have hope now?

Don't even have a body to bury.

They need it for forensics,
they told me.

The only thing we
have to bury is hope.

- I'm mari gilbert.
- Mari.

Was shannan one
of the girls found?

Oh, I don't know.
I don't know. Nobody's called.

This is-

jillian.

Her friend melissa
was found with maureen.

I don't really know
what to say except-

there's nothing to say.

- Hi.
- Oh god. Did they find-

no, no. I just spoke to
the forensic pathologist.

Six new bodies found,
none of them were shannan's.

I'm here because I thought
I might check out the house

just in case you might've,
I don't know, missed something.

Yeah, all right.

She visited weekends, holidays.

She loved her independence,

but she always came back
for a home-cooked meal.

We didn't have
an easy relationship.

That was one of
our better moments.

Mom, I am going out
and I will not be home-

sarra honey, say
hello to mr. Zinneman.

He's looking into your
sister's disappearance.

Hi, sarra.

Sarra, she helped me
set up my computer.

I got a computer.

I was afraid I wasn't
smart enough to learn

anything like that,
but sarra is a whiz.

I have that effect
on some people.

No.

She's like that sometimes.

She's schizophrenic.

That's what the doctors say.
I don't know.

And my shannan's bipolar.

Both my girls got problems,
except sarra,

one of my exes,

when she was younger,
fooled with her.

He went to jail,
but it's messed her up.

And as for shannan,
let's just say...

I failed both of them.

But this is not the way
to try to make up for it, mari.

This is my job now, not yours.

I know you don't have
a lot of trust in cops,

even ex-cops,
but stuff like this

will just mess up your mind.

Trust me, I know.

I lost someone too,

and I was
the least-qualified person

to try to find out
what happened.

I was too angry to.

Look, just be careful.

Wkl has just learned
that five years ago

the bodies of four women
were found buried on a beach

in atlantic city.

All four were sex workers
and they were all strangled.

Are these four connected
to the 10 bodies

recently unearthed
on long island?

The two cases are
uncomfortably similar

and the fbi is investigating.

We have 10 possible
victims at the moment.

The four we initially
found on gilgo beach

were sex workers.

So it's likely that
the other unidentified bodies,

not including the child,

were also part
of that profession.

Now the missing woman,
shannan gilbert,

she is also a sex worker,
but we don't have any connection

to her and the victims yet.

All the bodies that we
were able to autopsy,

they were strangled,
and that's the blue pins here.

Now groups of bodies have
been buried, basically,

roughly in the same location,
10 on gilgo beach,

and another four on
a beach in atlantic city.

Now, we don't have
any evidence to prove

that they're connected,
but it is possible

that the murderer or murderers
are responsible

for all or some
of the gilgo beach deaths.

And since jessica taylor,
whose head and hands

were found on gilgo beach,

and whose torso
was found in manorville

since back in 2003,

I think it's safe to assume

that the killer or killers
were in operation

since back then.

That's a lot of information.
Any questions?

All right. Well, let's get
out there and do our best.

What's all this about?

Fbi delivered
a profile to verrone.

What? What did it say?

No surprises.
Nothing new.

So they want to be
a part of this, huh?

I'd imagine so.

What?

I'm still up for that
promotion, right?

Yeah. Why?

Nothing.
It's not important.

The food is terrible
and the portions are too small.

thanks, herb.
I needed this. I did.

Any time.

You know, it's good to
get your mind off things

once in a while.

As if.

Where is?

If you don't mind my asking,
whatever happened

between you
and shannan's father?

Don't ask.

I couldn't get away fast enough.

How about you?
Ever married?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah? Kids?

Yeah, one.

He ran away when he turned 16.

I haven't heard from him since.

Is that the one you-

yeah, yeah.

I told you I left the force

because of the bureaucracy,

and I also had
a little breakdown

after he disappeared.

He's why I do what I do.

Hey, you watch out
for this one. He's a wild man.

Hey, I've seen you at
parties before, right?

Yeah.

What's your name?

Amy.

Amy. Live around here, amy?

Sometimes.

Somebody told me
that you're a cop.

Sometimes.

Is that right?

I've always been fascinated
with police work.

Oh, yeah, it can be
fascinating sometimes.

Come here.
Let me tell you all about it.

Come on.

Easy does it.

I'm only showing you
this because I know

that you're not going to stop
until this guy's caught.

You already owe me one favor.

Now you owe me two.

Of the six bodies that we just
discovered on gilgo beach,

I was only able to identify one,

jessica taylor, and that's
because parts of her body

were also buried in manorville.

Okay, yeah, so?

So it occurred to me
that if she was buried

in two different places,
maybe that would be true

for some of the others.

So I started comparing the dna
of our unidentified bodies

with cold cases that I dug up
from my predecessor's files.

In the year 2000 a woman's
body was found in manorville,

and that's just
three years before

they found jessica taylor.

We just uncovered her
missing head on gilgo beach.

That makes two women whose
torsos were buried in manorville

and whose heads were
found on gilgo.

Now, I know that doesn't
add to the body count,

but I found two other
manorville cold cases that do.

Rita tangretti, colleen mcnemey,

both sex workers

were murdered
and buried in manorville.

They were strangled
just like all the others.

Oh, god.

Yeah.

And it gets worse.

So I was looking through
the last pathologist cold cases

to see if I can get
any dna matches, right?

Yeah?

Jane doe number seven,
who we just found on gilgo,

she's missing her legs.

It turns out they were
discovered back in 1996.

Mr. And mrs. Ziff
found them on the beach.

That led me to other
bodies with similar mos.

2007, 2008,

all women who were
strangled and dismembered,

just like the ones we found
on gilgo and in manorville,

and the police made
no connection.

Now a possible 19 people
have been murdered

in a period of 20 years herc,

and we've gotten no
traction till now.

19?

Yeah.

I just pray that
there aren't any more.

Go long!

What the hell?

Dude, look at this.

I just got a call.

They found her, mari.

I'm sorry.

♪ God bless me. ♪

james burke.

Do you swear
to fulfill the duties

chief of suffolk county police
to the best of your ability,

so help you god?

I do.

Congratulations, chief burke.

honey.

I miss her.

I miss her too.

- Honey.
- I can't.

♪ I see the moon ♪

♪ the moon sees me ♪

morning, chief.

It'll take me a while
to get used to that,

calling you chief.

You wanted to see me?

Yeah, grab a seat here, don.

I got some bad news.

You're going to have to
leave the department.

You're going to need to retire.

That's crazy.

I'm not anywhere
near retirement.

Well, it's either that or you
get demoted back to captain.

Is that what you want?

What are you talking about?
Am I being fired?

That is not the word I used.

Is this you, jimmy?

Are you doing this?

Now, don't take this
personally, don.

There's three other
guys got the same deal.

Why? Why am I being fired?

Because of the budget, tom.

It's always because
of the budget. You know that.

Look, I would love to sit around
and talk to you about this

but I'm already late for an
appointment with the coroner.

So...

Did you find any drugs
in shannan gilbert's system?

There wasn't much
of a system left.

Why do you ask?

I read the file.

Driver said her and her john
took off for about 15 minutes.

He said he wouldn't be surprised
if they went to get some drugs.

And you think she oded?

Well, I think she was
high and hysterical.

I think it's highly unlikely
that she would've ran

right up to a serial killer
at 4:00 in the morning

on gilgo beach.

Well, isn't it just as
unlikely that a sex worker

fearing for her life
suddenly drops dead

on the same beach
where we found the bodies

of 10 other sex workers?

And look at this.

- What is that?
- It's her hyoid bone.

It's a small bone
found in the neck.

It's been fractured.

Meaning?

Meaning she could've
been strangled.

Could've been?

Well, yeah, okay, there might be
other explanations for this.

But, of the other bodies,
we know of at least four

that were strangled
with broken hyoid bones.

So, logically,
if it's the same killer,

that means all 10
were strangled.

And shannan makes 11.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Hi.

Verrone's been asked to retire.
He's off the case.

- What? Why?
- He doesn't know.

Is he being fired?
What's going on?

Something is going on,
and I don't know what.

Could you...

Could you maybe
do a favor for me?

There's something
I don't want to do alone.

- Tim bitroff?
- Yeah?

You're under arrest
for the violation

of a protective order.

You can come with us, please.

What's going on?

It's nothing, bro.

Just a bunch of crap.

Let's go.

It's about time.
You ready?

Mr. Bitroff, you're
being held for violation

of a protective order
taken against you.

- She lied.
- Sure.

You were read your rights.
Do you understand them?

- Hell yeah.
- You want a lawyer?

I don't need no lawyer.
She lied.

Sure.

May we have permission
to get a dna sample?

It's just routine.

Sure.

I got nothing to hide.

Go ahead.

- Amy?
- Yeah?

Leanne cavanaugh.

- Here you go.
- Oh.

Yeah, hi.

You said you wanted to talk.

Dr. Hackett, dr. Hackett.

dr. Hackett, did you run
a home for wayward girls?

Of course not.

So, you didn't have
anything to do

with shannan gilbert's death?

Of course not.

When you called the station, you
said you had some information

about a suffolk county
detective,

someone with whom
you had paid sex.

Yeah.

You want to tell me about it?

I was invited to a party.

I went to this party
with a friend

and this guy was
introduced to me

as a high-up with
the suffolk county police.

Do you recall his name?

Jimmy. Jimmy burke.

Chief of police, james burke?

Yeah.

But he wasn't
chief of police then.

Dr. Hackett, did shannan
ever come to your house?

No.

As I said before,
I never saw her.

Now please, no more questions.

some of your neighbors
on oak beach-

no, no. This is enough.

Now please,
I'm asking you politely,

no more questions.

Where was this party?

Oak beach.

Were there other law
enforcement officers present?

Well, I would imagine so
but I can't say for sure.

Were there other escorts
at the party?

Oh yeah.

Drugs?

Yeah, but I wasn't on coke,

just a whole lot of booze.

I was fairly intoxicated.

And...

What happened?

According to mari gilbert,
you gave shannan medication.

Absolutely not.

I have no idea how that woman
got that kind of information.

I never gave shannan drugs.

And then he took me
into the bathroom.

We started to engage
in sexual behavior.

He was frustrated

because he couldn't
consummate the act.

He started to get
really aggressive

and he told me
I was not a good whore.

He grabbed me aggressively
by the hair

while he was inside of me
choking me.

I remember tears
but not tears from crying,

tears from how
aggressive he was.

He still couldn't
reach ejaculation,

so I guess he kind of
just gave up,

threw money at me.

This was my first time
getting paid for sex.

You got to understand,

we put ourselves at risk.

And when the cops
treat us like crap,

it just goes to prove that
the whole world is against us.

We're throwaways.

Not to me.

See you later.

Where were you?

I was on a date,
I told you that.

No, no, no, no.

Please, sarra,
don't be like shannan.

I don't want you
dating like shannan.

I'm not dating like shannan.

Stop comparing us.

And, for god's sake,
stop drinking.

You're pathetic.

No, I'm not.

I miss her.

I miss her.

I miss her.

I'm not comparing you.

I know you're not her.

And I'm sorry for
what happened to you,

to both of you.

I'm, I'm... Oh!

Oh!

Okay, yeah.

- hi.
- Hi.

- You going out?
- No.

But you're all dressed up.

No, sometimes a girl
just likes to look nice.

Come on in.

You said you wanted to see me.

Yeah, I...

I want to talk
to you about shannan.

Mari, I'm not convinced

that shannan was murdered.

What?

Shannan was contacted
by her john

in a totally different way
than the others were.

He didn't try to hide
his cell number or his address.

In fact, none of
the men she was with,

the john, the driver,
the neighbor,

none of them
is a serious suspect.

There has to be somebody.
There's got to be somebody.

I don't think so.

If shannan was murdered,
she met her killer by chance.

I don't believe that's likely.

I think she drowned.

The area they found her
body in was very marshy.

She was probably on drugs.

Oh jesus, no.
She was hysterical.

She passed out or collapsed

and fell into shallow water.

No, no, that is not possible.

I read the forensic
pathologist's report.

Shannan was found face up.

How could she drown
if she was face up?

And they didn't find
any drugs in her system.

What they found
was a bone in her throat

that was broken.

Shannan was strangled.

There are animals out there,
mari, that feed on the dead.

Foxes, dogs-

whoa.

That could've turned her
body over and broken the bones.

We don't know for certain
that she was drug-free.

No.

Because,
and I'm sorry to say this,

there wasn't enough left
of her for testing.

I spoke to forensics.

Shannan, she dialed 911.

She called 911.

She said, "someone
is trying to kill me."

she said,
"they're trying to kill me."

they, plural.

Who was she with?

The john.

Maybe her driver,
but he was no threat to her.

Do you think her
driver's the killer?

I don't know, I don't know.

Everyone she met
says the same thing,

she wasn't making sense.

Then why the hell
didn't 911 respond?

Because they couldn't trace it.

I found out that much.

The cell towers just bounced
it all over the place.

Look mari-

I want to hear that call.

I have a right to
listen to that call.

Get me a copy of that call.

I can't.
I haven't been granted access.

I am her mother.

Officially, I can't.

Unofficially, I heard it, mari.

There's nothing there.

I want to hear that call.

Are you sure?

Damn it, I want
to hear that call.

County 911,
what's your location?

- Help me. Help me.
- What's your name?

Shannan, shannan gilbert.

Okay, shannan.
Can you tell me where you are?

- They're trying to kill me.
- Shannan, where are you?

No, you're trying to kill me.

Who's with you, shannan?

No, don't come near me.

Shannan, are you okay?

Shannan,
can you tell me where you are?

Help me, please.
They're trying to kill me.

Can you find a safe place to go?

okay, shannan,
I need you to calm down.

I'm trying to get
help out to you.

Oh god.

In the early '90s, a man

by the name of steven reuben,

incarcerated here, was convicted

in the killings of nine
female sex workers.

He strangled,
dismembered and hid them

much like the current
serial killer

with the earliest victims.

Is this killer a reuben copycat?

Are two long island killing
sprees a coincidence?

Reuben is currently serving
five consecutive life sentences

at culkin correctional.

They said your
daughter was killed.

Very sorry to hear that.

Thank you.

No one believes it but me.

You should know.

You killed nine women.

Yep.

Did you kill any
of the ones they just found?

No.

I don't take credit
for what I didn't do.

I'm not jealous.

He's an amateur compared to me.

But they're not mine.

Do you know who he is?

No, but it shouldn't be
too hard to find out.

Why is that?

Well, some of them were
found wrapped in burlap, right?

Not a common material except
in the job I was working.

- What was that?
- Gardening.

Plenty of burlap
in that business.

If I wanted to find him,
that's where I'd start,

checking on owners and employees

of local nurseries.

Oh my god.

Wkl news network.

I'd like to speak
to a crime reporter

named leanne cavanaugh.

One moment please.

Hi, this is leanne,
please leave a message

and I'll get back.

Hi, leanne,
ms. Cavanaugh.

My name is mari gilbert.

My daughter shannan was murdered

and this man,

this man committed suicide
two days after she was found,

and this detective was fired.

I'm beginning to think
there's a coverup.

I'm at 8-4-5-5-5-5-3-4-6-4.

Thank you.

yeah?

This is leanne cavanaugh
returning your call.

You said you think
there's a cover up?

Son of a...

- Hey.
- What?

You guys did a dna swipe
on a guy named tim bittrolff.

Yeah. Why?

We just got a relative match
on a couple of our murders,

a rita tangredi
and a colleen mcnamee.

They were both sex workers
who were killed

and buried in manorville
in '93 - '94.

We still have dna samples from
semen found in their bodies.

- You found a familial match?
- Yeah.

It wasn't tim bittrolff,
but I would see

if his dad's still around
or if he has any brothers?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

These women, friends, mothers,

grandmothers, sisters
all share a sorrow,

and behind that
a mystery that the police,

they believe, have ignored.

One senior detective said
that it was a consolation

to the general public

that the victims
were prostitutes.

Mari, let's start with you.

Your daughter was
the last one found.

You think her murder
is part of a coverup.

I do.

Excuse me, john bittrolff?

Yeah?

Would you mind coming down
the station answering

a few questions regarding
your brother timothy?

Man, what's he done now?

Hop in this side.

Two days after shannan was found

the chief detective
on the case was fired.

- Do you know why?
- No.

The same day,
after varrone as fired,

two days after
shannan was found,

this guy who owned a nursery
committed suicide.

Nurseries carry burlap.

Some of, some of the girls

were wrapped in burlap.

I hear you, but some might say

that's hardly proof of anything.

Oh, well, he was a big mover
and shaker in suffolk county.

Are they investigating him?

So has your brother
always had a problem

with violence, mr. Bittrolff?

Well, nothing serious.

Buddy has been getting into
trouble since he was a kid,

but he's got a good heart,

he just doesn't
think about consequences.

Whoa.

And peter hackett,
dr. Peter hackett,

the guy who called me right
after shannan disappeared,

he used to work for
the suffolk county.

It seems to me,
everybody knew everybody.

Well, thank you
so much for coming down.

Oh, yeah, anything
for my little brother.

All right, you're free to go.

An officer will take you
anywhere you've got to go.

- Thanks.
- Sure.

They've been stalling
and avoiding,

ask any of the women here.

Most of the girls found
were reported missing years ago.

Why?

What is going on

with the suffolk county
police department?

Find something interesting?

I don't think so, pal.
Not today, alright?

- Not in my office, alright?
- I didn't see anything.

- Let's go!
- I didn't see anything!

For years there have been
whispers of corruption

in suffolk county
law enforcement.

Open it.

Lock it.

What were you doing
in my vehicle?

Just looking.

Looking? For what?

Something to sell.

Sex tapes, handcuffs,

boner pills?

Man, you are such a pervert.

you think that's,
you think that's funny, huh?

I'll show you funny.

Still laughing?

Mind your own business!

Please, stop.

Open.

Lock it.

Get back to work.

Morning. Any news?

The best.

John bittrolff was arrested
earlier today

in connection with the murder
of two women whose bodies

were found in manorville
in 1993 and '94.

In addition, we're
looking into whether

some of the women who were
found on gilgo beach

may be attributable
to mr. Bittrolff.

Why?

Why did it take 20
years to catch him?

Wait here.

Turn around.

Open it up.

Want to get high, my friend?

Do you know what a hot shot is?

A lethal dose of heroin.

Your mother would
be heartbroken.

No.

Are you going to say anything

about what you saw in that bag?

No.

Are you going to call
a lawyer and ruin my day?

No.

You're going to plead
guilty to vagrancy

and drug possession?

Yeah.

Yeah, atta boy.

Your mother posted bail.

Get yourself cleaned up,
you're going home.

Uncuff him
and get him out of here.

I have no idea who's responsible
for shannan's death

or the deaths
of these poor women.

All I know is attention
was not paid

when they went missing.

They were written off
because of what they did

to support their loved ones.

Why?

Why did the police do nothing
until it was too late?

I don't know
if it's directly related

or if it's just a reason
for people not to do their job,

but there is corruption here,

and everybody,
not just the families,

everybody has a right to demand
that it be weeded out.

We should be able
to trust our cops.

My daughter was a troubled kid.

Both my girls are troubled,

but that is not a reason

to write anybody off.

These women, these women
were were mothers,

and daughters,
and sisters and friends.

Not only do
they deserve justice,

they deserve the same respect
that every woman deserves.

That's what we want for them,
justice and respect.

Sarra, you're not making sense.

Oh, I'm not making sense?

- No, you're not.
- I'm not making sense?

-Why are you on tv-
-you need to calm down.

-Telling people-
-sweetheart, stop it.

You calm down!

You're telling people
that I'm troubled!

People are going to
think that I'm crazy!

- That I'm crazy!
- Sarra, stop it.

It's okay.

Honey, honey, it's okay.

It's all right.

Get off!

can I come in?

Not a good time.

That's okay.

I want to tell you, mari,

that you're a good woman.

No, I don't think so.

Are you kidding?

Just look at what you've done.

You got this whole
investigation started.

You have families
who have been looking

for their daughters for years,

you helped them find
out what happened

to their loved ones.

You went public with your anger,

you stood your ground
in front of powerful men,

the kind that used
to take advantage of you.

You stood up to me
for god's sake

and you're telling me
you ain't a good woman?

You're a good woman.

That's all I want to say.

Hey, morning, tom.
What's up?

Don't worry about it,
I'll take care of this.

What'd you say?
What's going on?

Agent carson, fbi.
Chief james burke?

Suffolk county police
chief james burke

was arrested today
for allegedly violating

the civil rights of a young man

whom he arrested for vagrancy.

The young man's lawyer
told the fbi that burke

attacked his client viciously

and threatened his life
with an overdose of heroin.

Photos of the young man's
wounds and an eyewitness

from the holding cell

reportedly back up
the accusations.

Following his arrest and a
lenghty trial,

ex district attorney tom spota
has just been found guilty

of obstruction,
witness tampering

and conspiracy charges
in his attempts to cover up

the crimes committed by
ex police chief james burke.

We've brought cases
against several officials

throughout suffolk county.

There was rampant corruption.

The actions of chief burke
and da spota

were only the tip
of a very dirty iceberg.

Questions?

I'm better now.
I'm doing much better.

I still believe of course
that if the cases

of these women
had not been ignored,

the person or persons
who did this

would have been stopped
a long time ago,

my shannan would still be alive.

As for me, I'm...

I'm starting to find,

not closure,
but some kind of peace.