Authorities in Suffolk County have identified the remains of a woman believed to be a victim of the Long Island Serial Killer.
According to the New York Post, Suffolk County law enforcement officials say they have identified Jane Doe #6, one of the previously unidentified victims believed to have been part of a possible decades-long killings spree in Long Island.
The disemembered remains of Jane Doe #6 were found in separate locations. The first set was found in Manorville in 2000, and a second set was found near Gilgo Beach in 2011 during an extensive search of the area following the discovery of four sets of remains known as the “Gilgo Four” along Ocean Parkway, a discovery that first prompted the initial investigation into a possible serial killer.
According to the report, the Suffolk County Police Department will reveal that identity of the victim on GilgoNews.com at some time in the “near future.”
John Bitrolff is serving consecutive life sentences for the murders of two prostitutes who were found dead in the 1990s. His crimes went undetected for two decades, and he was only tied to the killings after his brother submitted a DNA sample to authorities following a probation violation. The sample was a partial match for at least two murder victims whose genetic samples had been entered into the state database. After investigators ruled out the brother in the killings, they focused on John Bittrolff and arrested him after obtaining DNA from garbage left outside his home.
Authorities have not said if the identification of the victim has brought them closer to narrowing in on a suspect, though Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told Newsday that the identification could be a “game-changer.”
CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
[Feature image: AP Photo/Kevin P. Coughlin, File]
