The Hunt for the Long Island Serial Killer
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A truck emerges onto the i-10 in New Orleans. He checks his mirrors. The lane is clear. And then, boom, impact. A pickup truck seemingly out of nowhere scrapes down the side of his 18-wheeler. Multiple passengers inside. One man flees the scene, and the driver of the pickup, he doesn't see him all that upset. It didn't feel like a regular accident, because it wasn't. Across the city, truckers were getting sideswiped, all on the same stretch of the same freeway. And behind most of the cases was one personal injury lawyer, a Hollywood stuntwoman, turned attorney named Vanessa Mota. This podcast is a story about fake accidents that led to real consequences, and a scheme that ends in betrayal and murder. Listen to Over My Dead Body, Operation Sidewipe, wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes early and add free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. True Crime is full of unanswered questions, but earning your degree doesn't have to be a mystery. That's where Southern New Hampshire University comes in. SNHU offers more than 200 online degree programs, with flexibility that puts you in the driver's seat, and trusted support to keep you on track even when life takes an unexpected turn. Find the answers you're searching for at snhu.edu/48hours. Do you remember the last time you spoke with your sister? I do. She called me Sunday night at 11.30 at a train station in New York. From Penn Station. I could hear the motion from the train station. So you don't think she knew she was in danger at that time that she called you? No. From the time that she called me, it was poof, she was gone. My sister's missing, like this isn't normal. There was a ping from her phone after she went missing on Long Island. They knew that there was something very, very wrong here. Young lady was reported missing Shannon Gilbert. The missing person's unit had been involved in trying to locate this young lady. Find out what happened to her. We found human remains. But it seemed to be wrapped in burlap, which didn't make any sense. Everyone assumed it was Shannon Gilbert. But it wasn't, was it? No. The crime scene gets expanded. I'm called in. The chief, we found another set of remains. They find another one and another one. We were dealing with a serial killer. But they were all four foot eleven. Very petite, hazel, green eyes. This killer has a type. Right. Does he want the petite body because he wants to feel more empowered and more in control? Is it easier to dispose of a lighter body? Investigators have found 10 sets of human remains, 10 victims in all. Things started to click as I was watching that. I have a feeling that this is Maureen. One of them, Maureen. I just had a feeling. The detectives came to my house and just said that Maureen has been positively identified as one of the victims on Ocean Park with. I have my sister's dad. Always in the back of my mind. The killer or killers still are loose. No justice has been done. It's a symbol of the complete failure of the police department to do its job. My name is Jerry Hart. I'm the commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department. So it's again a very complex case but I can tell you that we are fully committed to this investigation. We believe that the belt was handled by the suspect and did not belong to any of the victims. We're working very hard that we're dedicated to this investigation. What I want most is answers and justice and I also want that the world to know like my sister mattered. [Music] [Music] [Music]
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New clues in one of the largest unsolved murder cases in the U.S. A victim’s daughter speaks out for the first time. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.