Philadelphia escort among victims in Long Island Gilgo Beach murder case, DNA shows
by Robert GeartyRemains found by Long Island detectives assigned to the Gilgo Beach murder case belong to a Philadelphia escort, an identification made through DNA and genetic genealogy.
Valeria Mack, 24, disappeared months before her remains were found in Manorville, L.I., in November 2000. She previously had been arrested on prostitution charges in Philadelphia.
More of her remains were found on Gilgo Beach in 2011.
Mack’s remains and 10 other sets of remains were found on the beach after the disappearance of a 24-year-old Craigslist escort Shannan Gilbert in 2010. Police said Gilbert vanished after visiting a client near where the remains were discovered.
"For two decades, Valerie Mack's family and friends were left searching for answers and while this is not the outcome they wanted, we hope this brings some sense of peace and closure," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said Thursday.
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The Gilgo Beach detectives knew Mack for years as “Jane Doe No. 6.” As an escort she used an alias, Melissa Taylor.
There have been no arrests in the case.
“This is believed to be the first time a law enforcement agency in New York State has used genetic genealogy to identify an individual as part of a police investigation,” Suffolk police said.
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Mack’s mother lives in New Jersey and declined comment, Newsday reported.