LI beach search resumes after possible new clues

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The search for a missing prostitute resumes Wednesday on the Long Island beach where the remains of 10 other people, believed to be the victims of a serial killer, were found.

New evidence was recovered Tuesday that could provide leads to the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert.

Police searched marshland where Gilbert was last scene. Her case is what led to the discovery of human remains along the south shore.

Some personal items were found Tuesday, but police won't confirm any connection to Gilbert. Newsday reports that a purse "believed to belong to Shannan Gilbert" was found, according to the paper's law enforcement source.

Search teams return Wednesday to look for Gilbert's remains near where she was last seen, in Oak Beach, a gated seashore community several miles from Jones Beach State Park. The 24-year-old woman, from Jersey City, was last seen at a client's home.

The new search has been guided by an FBI flyover that took place last April. It produced points of interest, and close to 100 of them were searched Tuesday.

Suffolk County Public Works will bring in heavy equipment to clear a marshy area that had been underwater and inaccessible during previous sweeps. It appears the way Hurricane Irene churned up the Oak Beach shoreline exposed some areas that authorities were previously unable to get to.

Gilbert's mother says her daughter would never have gone near the water willingly, because she couldn't swim.

"She did not know how to swim," Mari Gilbert said. "She would not intentionally run towards the water. If she's found near the water or in the water, the killer put her there."

Gilbert's disappearance 18 months ago turned into a hunt for a serial killer after the 10 bodies were found along Ocean Parkway.

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