New York police expand search for more human remains in serial killings

[News_Editor]

New York police expand search for more human remains in serial killings

2011-04-30 21:15:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Police on Long Island in New York are expanding their search for more human remains in the investigation into a suspected serial killer, state police said on Saturday.

Police on Long Island have so far recovered the remains of eight people in Suffolk County since December, while at least one or perhaps two other partial remains were found earlier this month during a search in neighboring Nassau County.

A statement from New York State Police on Saturday said police will resume their search for more remains on Monday at 9 a.m. local time. Their last search took place on April 22.

"[Police] will be extending their search into the discovery of human remains onto the southern portion of the Wantagh State Parkway from Merrick Road to the Ocean State Parkway," the statement said, adding that local roads will be closed for an indeterminate amount of time due to the investigation.

Only four of the victims found in Suffolk County have so far been identified as missing prostitutes who met their clients through Craigslist. But the identities of the other victims remain unknown, and officials said they do not know their gender or how long they have been there.

Police have so far found no suspects and it remains unclear whether all the nine or ten victims were the victim of the same serial killer.

Earlier this month, police sources told the New York Times that the potential serial killer likely has extensive knowledge about how police work. "Here is a guy who is aware of how we utilize technology. People are thinking [that] maybe he could be a cop," the source said.

According to the sources, the teenage sister of 24-year-old victim Melissa Barthelemy received a series of taunting phone calls after she went missing in mid-2009. They were made from in or around crowded locations in New York City such as Times Square, making it impossible for police to find the caller on surveillance footage.

"Without question, this guy is smart, this guy is not a dope," the investigator told the Times, saying the calls were vulgar, mocking and insulting. "It's a guy who thinks about things."

However, some crime experts have rejected claims that he could be a law enforcement officer as television series such as Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and others provide a detailed and often accurate look into how investigators work.

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