MARCH 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 11
THIS MONTH
BEACH CASE IN NETFLIX MOVIE LOST GIRLS
trying to get ahead of the fi lm’s release?
I can’t say this with 100 percent assurity,
but I do think that they knew the trailer
was coming that day. And they called
the press conference the night before.
I’m sure they knew there would start
to be attention on the case and it’s only
natural that they would want to say that
they are still working on it.
Do you have any theories on the photo
of the belt police released? I don’t
have any theories. I’m not a detective.
Hopefully it leads somewhere. But it’s
distressing if that’s all that we’re working
with at this point in time.
Police are portrayed in the movie
as not properly pursuing the case
because the victims were sex workers,
but Suff olk police maintain that
victims’ line of work doesn’t dictate
how thoroughly they investigate.
Do you believe them? You look at the
semantics and the way that the case was
discussed and the treatment that family
members prior to Shannan Gilbert in
other jurisdictions — it’s not just Suff olk
County — had while they were trying
to get some answers about their loved
ones. It was not JonBenét Ramsey. It was
really a disregard and a lack of urgency.
Now they’re adults, it’s not a child like
JonBenét, and of course adults can go
off on their own and they’re allowed to
not report back, but these were sisters
and mothers who were clearly missing
and they were right there along Ocean
Parkway and it took way too long to
make those connections.
The cause of Shannan Gilbert’s death
is officially considered “inconclusive”
by the medical examiner. Police
have said she may have accidentally
drowned in the marsh, but her family
believes she was murdered. What do
you think happened? I think that Shannan
was on Craigslist like the rest of the
young women, and she was the same
type as the rest of the young women in
terms of build and characteristics, that
perhaps this perpetrator was looking
for and interested in, and her body was
found not far from the other victims.
Shannan was really scared that night.
We know because Mari and her family
got to listen to the 911 call and we have
reports of civilians at Oak Beach that
saw her terrifi ed. So to say that she
just happened to run into a marsh and
drown seems a very implausible theory
when you have so much data that young
women who did advertise on Craigslist
were murdered in that area. Something
could have gone wrong. The pattern is
certainly a little diff erent. But to assume
that it’s not connected seems to not add
up with common sense.
As far as the larger case, some believe
it’s one perpetrator, others suspect it’s
multiple killers using the same dumping
ground. Have you come away with
any insights aft er making this fi lm? I
don’t know if it’s one or multiple killers.
The fi lm was told through Mari’s point
of view. We know that Mari had her
ideas and we portray those in the fi lm,
but of course there’s a wide range of
theories.
You’ve been on record stating that you
hope the fi lm helps generate tips that
crack the case. How do you think that
this case may fi nally get closure? You
look at the recent Golden State Killer
case, which had been unsolved for far
longer, and there was renewed press
interest. Michelle McNamara wrote a
book called I'll Be Gone in the Dark,
which renewed press interest. It was a
very diff erent case. There were many
detectives who were extremely passionate
and said, ‘if there’s one thing I want
to do before I die, it’s solve this case.’ It
was very much on people’s minds. But
because of press interest and because of
the passion of some of those detectives
who would not let it go, they made a DNA
match. But it was hard, it was a needle
in a haystack, and it was people caring
and working, and retired police officers
who continued to speak with one
another. If we had that kind of passion
here, couldn't we make a difference as
well? It seems that it should be within
reach.
Amy Ryan plays Mari Gilbert in Lost Girls.
Netflix’ Lost Girls movie is based
on the true crime book of the same
name.
Long Island Press was covering the
Gilgo Beach murder victims’ disapearances
before their bodies were
found in 2010.
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