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New Images Of Belt Released In Gilgo Beach Serial Killing Case
Authorities in Suffolk County, New York hope the images trigger new tips to help them catch the elusive Long Island Serial Killer.
New images of a belt in the Long Island Serial Killer case have been released.
The two new photos were published Monday onto GilgoNews.com, a website created by the Suffolk County Police Department devoted to the case.
The photos show the initials "HM" or "WH" embossed on the tip of a dark and worn leather belt. They appear to be photos taken from a different angle of the same belt released back in January by police. Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart announced at a Jan. 16 press conference that the belt did not belong to any of the victims and that it’s believed it was handled by a suspect in the case.
A public information officer for the Suffolk Police Department told Oxygen.com on Tuesday that no further information about the new photos is available at this time. They were unable to answer why the photos are being released now.
When asked by reporters in January why the initial belt images were released, Hart said that the investigative team is always assessing the importance of evidence and they decided that was the time to release the image. She added police would not release the size of the belt. She said she hoped it would lead to tips.
The belt was found along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the “initial stages of this investigation,” Hart said back in January. It's where the initial four victims, who became known as the “Gilgo Four,” were found dead in December 2010. The 10-year anniversary of the discovery of the first victim will be on Friday.
Soon after discovering the first four victims, investigators found more and more bodies in the area. The elusive murderer, or murderers, known as the "Long Island Serial Killer," the "Gilgo Beach Killer," and the "Craigslist Ripper" has been officially tied by law enforcement to the slayings of 10 people found in the area at the time. An additional six bodies found around Long Island beaches have not been officially linked to the serial killings but theories have been put forth that their deaths could also be connected. Several of the victims were escorts on Craigslist, before the site took down its adult section.
The case has remained unsolved. Hart announced in January that genealogy websites would be mined for possible matches, as authorities successfully did in California to catch the infamous Golden State Killer.
"Lost Girls,” a film based on the events surrounding this case aired on Netflix earlier this year.
