True Crime Researchers
Suspicious Death
Status: Open

Shannan Maria Gilbert

Last Seen:May 01, 2010
Discovered:December 13, 2011
Date of Birth:October 24, 1986
Age at the Time:23
“Outside the sun has abandoned its post. Its rays no longer reach inside here, extending past haphazardly hung blinds. Instead, there is only darkness and the memory of you.” That was a poem Shannan had written for her mother, but feels fitting for her memory. Shannan ran from a home in Oak Beach, seeking help from locals and calling 911. Her disappearance eventually led to the findings of multiple bodies in the Gilgo Beach area.

Shannan Gilbert was yelling “They’re going to kill me” as she ran through an Oak Beach community, a little before 5 a.m., in May 2010. Her remains were found over a year later.

The last night of Shannan’s leads to more questions than answers. She went missing and searches in the area eventually uncovered that there was a serial killer in Long Island. However, Shannan’s death was ruled “death by misadventure” and it is not known if her disappearance and death were related to the serial killings or if she only helped uncover them.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers has a phone number 1-800-220-TIPS (8477) and an online tip submission.

Events

  1. Shannan arrives at Joseph Brewer's house

    Michael Pak drove her from Manhattan to the Oak Bay home

  2. Shannan and Joseph leave the house

    There are conflicting reports on where they went and why, but all reports indicate that they did not leave the community.

  3. Shannan calls 911

    The call is 23 minutes long, including multiple transfers. She told the operator "they're trying to kill me" but couldn't give enough information to determine her location.

  4. Joseph brewer calls Michael Pak

    Brewer told Michael that he wanted Shannan to leave and that she wouldn't. Michael goes in the house to try to get her.

  5. Gus Colletti calls 911

    Shannan ran to Gus' home, knocking on the door and saying "they're trying to kill me". She ran back out after he said he called the police.

  6. Searchers find Shannan's belongings

    Over a year-and-a-half later, Shannan's purse, cell phone, jeans, and shoes are found.

  7. Skeletal remains are found

    The homicide squad was using an amphibious machine to move into the marshy area, when someone spotted the remains. They were later confirmed to be Shannan.

Places of Interest

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1

Joseph Brewer's House

The house that Shannan ran away from her client and her driver.

2

Dr. Peter Hackett's House

Depending on reports, Shannan did or didn't visit this house with Brewer and while running away later in the night.

3

Shannan's belongings were found

Searchers found her purse, cell phone, shoes, and jeans.

4

Skeletal remains were found

The general location where skeletal remains were found, which were later determined to be Shannan.

Persons of Interest

Dr. Peter Hackett

Dr. Hackett inserted himself into the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert in multiple ways, including calling her mother two days after she went missing. This was before her mother even knew she was missing.

Joseph Brewer

Joseph was the Shannan Gilbert's last client. She ran from his home and her driver, yelling "they're going to kill me."

Watch

BrainScratch: Shannan Gilbert

A deep dive into information around Shannan's disappearance and the connection to the Long Island Serial Killer.

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1 hour, 3 minutes

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Related Cases

Long Island has had many victims in the past few decades and at least two convicted serial killers. A series of victims, found in Manorville and Gilgo Beach are unsolved and may be related. View the case

The Gilgo Four is a collective name for the four young women who were found buried on Gilgo Beach. All four were in burlap and were separated by an eerily similar distance. View the case