Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. However, the prosecution and members of Sarras family told a story of a devious, manipulative young woman who tried to excuse her drug addiction as a mental illness. Mari had then claimed custody of her grandson. Sarra then stripped Mari naked and removed her jewelry. She has been charged with second degree murder. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. She was not perfect, but she was loved and she was cared for, Gilbert told the press in 2011. Powered by. "My sister met the client through Craigslist and went to his house around 2:00 a.m.," Sherre explained. No one knew then, that seven months later, the search for Shannan would turn up the grisly grave site of the bodies of four other young women who, just like Shannan, had simply disappeared. "It absolutely makes no sense that she's found where she is, except that someone else put her there or killed her there," said Gilbert family attorney John Ray. It didnt take this long. Councilor Matt Garcia was shot dead in a suburban driveway as he chatted with a friend in Fairfield City, California. What did you hear? An autopsy ruled Mari Gilberts death a homicide due to multiple stab wounds. Shannan Gilbert went missing after a terrifying 911 call in May 2010. And when Mari Gilbert confronted him with a friend's camera rolling, he denied it again: Mari Gilbert [Cell phone video]: Firsthand what happened? In 2011, her body was found in a marshy area. The official explanation doesn't satisfy Shannan's family. She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York. It was schizophrenia, attorney John Ray, tells PEOPLE. Samantha Vincenty is the former senior staff writer at Oprah Daily. We went everywhere.". "Shock," Varrone replied. I'm like that's -- 'they're gonna eat you alive.' But police couldn't respond to the call because Shannan couldn't say where she was. Melissa Cann simply wishes police had worked harder to find Maureen. "I was like, 'Be safe.' Heres what you should know. Dr. Hackett has steadfastly denied ever seeing Shannan to the press. "Suddenly, you no longer had to walk down the street; you could just work out of your home," he said. And he's on a mission.". Shortly after Gilberts body was discovered, Hackett put his Oak Beach house on the market in 2012 and moved away from the area. Ellenville police arrested Gilbert at the scene and said they recovered a 15-inch kitchen knife they believe was used in the attack. The tragedies and illness are often intertwined, says Dottie Laster, a private investigator and missing-persons specialist who helped the Gilbert family search for Mari Gilberts older daughter, Shannan. Last year, Ray and two colleagues put the police theory to the test. "So why did he pick, you know, a sex worker if he didn't want sex?" We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. In mid July 2009, after several days with no word from Melissa, her mother panicked. "She just says 'they're trying to kill me,'" he replied. Mari Gilbert Killed: Daughter Sarra Had Schizophrenia, Attorney "He said he never saw Shannan before," she replied. Dr. Michael M. Baden conducted the autopsy and said she might have been murdered. Moriarty asked Varrone. "Certainly she could've succumbed to the elements after a while total fatigue and exhaustion.". "I knew I wasn't going to look, walk, and sound exactly like Mari, but there was an essence, or a gesture that I was hoping to pick up," Ryan adds. During her sister Sarras trial, she appeared for the prosecution. After a jury found Sarra Gilbert guilty, she was given the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in August 2017. Sarra heard voices that urged her to perform violent acts, New York Daily News reported. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. '", He opened the door. According to NBC, Mari's 27-year-old daughter Sarra stabbed her more than 200 times and hit her with a fire extinguisher, resulting in Mari's death in 2016. By. "Shes what we call criminally insane. "I was so moved by Mari's story," Garbus tells OprahMag.com. ultimately discovered the bodies of four women along Ocean Parkway, Howeverin an update of the case in January. It's very difficult to review this case, as there, The FBi has been murdering people for years since their, Clearly its hard for some people to understand that although, What is taking so long? The prosecution argued that Sarra killed her mother out of anger because Mari had Sarrah arrested after Sarra drowned her puppy. After the third call, police asked Verizon to tap Amanda's phone. 5: Jessica Taylor, an escort missing since 2003; dismembered, Victim No. "I still don't want to believe it. Did you ever see her? Despite her well-documented history of severe mental illness and the fact that Sarra had gone off of her medication before the murder, Sarra was found guilty of murder in 2017 and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. It's like running through a corn field or a wheat field you just push push it outta your way," said Varrone. It's all in the missing person's report. Attorney John Ray told CBS that Sarra invited Mari to her home and in the living room, she was knifed to death.. It doesn't make any sense.". And we're gonna catch him," said Berthelemy. He knew what locations would be difficult to trace and how long he could stay on the phone. "Peter Hackett told me that Shannan was at his house, that he ran a halfway house for people who wanted to get off the street and that Shannan was there," said Mari Gilbert. At the heart of these efforts was Mari Gilbert (played in the movie by The Offices Amy Ryan), who worked to bring attention to the the murder of her 24-year-old daughter, Shannan. Mari Gilbert Born ( 1964-06-22) June 22, 1964 New York Died July 23, 2016 (2016-07-23) (aged 52) Ell Cause of death Stabbing Occupation Activist television personality 1 more rows Police say Maris body was discovered in her daughters home in Ellenville on Saturday. I feel like if the right things were done maybe these girls would still be alive to this day," she said. Chief Varrone insists police didn't know about that call until months later. A year & a half of hope, prayers & dreams.People say I have a tragic life because of my circumstances but one thing is for sure. "Sexually explicit things as to what he had done to Melissa, sexually explicit things as to what he was going to do to Amanda.". He nowreportedly lives in Florida. "She's saying, 'There's someone after me; there's someone after me,'" he said. A year & a half of anger, tears & sleepless nights. The problem is, instead of filing it in Suffolk County, N.Y., where her daughter was last seen, Mari was required to file it where her daughter lived in New Jersey. (The) last time I talked to him, it was seven years ago at least, and he was saying that he was basically unemployable, Kolker toldOxygen.com. Mari Gilbert's daughters dealt with the tragedy of their sister Shannan in different ways. "Well, you're in muck; they're soaking wet; they're soaked with mud they're weighing you down she's running in a panicked state and the muck and the mud and they just come off her as she continues to run," Varrone explained. "We gave them flyers. "There's no doubt in my mind" he replied. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. And she said, 'No.' Stevie Smith tends to stays out of the spotlight. We tried to get Sarra help many times since she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in early 2014 and she would get better and then her condition would get worse., Laster says she genuinely liked Sarra. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The family never found closure, Laster says, as Shannans official cause of death remains undetermined and the Long Island serial killer remains at large. At that point, Colletti called 911. Megan was just 22 when she was murdered, leaving behind a 4-year-old daughter. Gilbert became an advocate after her daughter Shannan was murdered, but was killed by one of her other children. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! In 2017, Sarra was convicted of second-degree murder, Daily Freeman reported. She was -- she's an escort We're not going to assign a detective to this.'". She has two other daughters. Mari had Over time, they can develop serious medical malfunctions., (Local police did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment, and have not publicly discussed a motive in the case. Hackett's attorney, James O'Rourke of Hauppauge, said none of the claims is true. Sarra was arrested at the scene with blood on her clothing. Dr. Hackett: I never saw her, I never met her. Gilberts other daughters supported her effort to bring attention to their sisters murder, and often appeared alongside their mother at memorials and when she spoke to reporters. "Today they found a pair of jeans a pair of shoes the pocketbook with identification in the pocketbook belonging to Shannan Gilbert," then-Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer told reporters. As she told the jury, Sarra believed Mari, "was evil. Gilbert's remains were recovered on Dec. 13, 2011, and officials believed the cause of her death was drowning. He used the phrase that it was too late to help her and that he then released her., Shannan'sbody was discovered in 2011, partially clothed, in a localmarsh. "I was in the bathroom shaving. This was how the police first learned of the existence of the infamous Long Island Serial Killer. "If Michael Pak had stayed there and told the officers that she was still missing, is it possible that Shannan Gilbert might still be alive?" And so it began. Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on ID this week. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, LI Serial Killer: Missing escort, crime scene & victims, Clues in the Long Island serial killer case, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated. Over the years, many of the initial counts in the lawsuit have been removed, including the wrongful death claim that was dismissed in 2013, according tocourt documentsin the case. They learned that Shannan and her driver had left New York City shortly after midnight on May 1, 2010, and headed to a gated community in Oak Beach. "Her driver dropped her off and she was there for quite a while and then for some reason, she started to panic.". It is not clear if her death was a homicide or a tragic accident. Lost Girls, a new Netflix movie helmed by At the time, Maureen was a desperate, single mother of two. They were traveling together, coordinating. Mari Gilberts body was discovered in her daughter Sarras apartment in the Catskills. But Hackett would face criticism after he allegedly embellished his role in the investigation, Vice reports. But when Amber didn't call or come home, says Schaller, no one in her family even looked for her. In July 2007, Maureen left her home in Norwich, Conn., and boarded a train to New York City. Mari was alive and kicking. "We said that Maureen went to New York and she never came back. It is not clear if she has retained an attorney or if she has entered a plea to her charges. Moriarty asked? "Sarra is, from all the evidence, clearly not responsible for what shes done," Newsday quoted Ray saying in 2016. 52-year-old Mari Gilbert became a murder victim advocate after her Craigslist-escort