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DA: As Many As 3 Killers Sought In Gilgo Beach Bodies Case

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New details have emerged in the probe for a serial killer on Long Island.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota announced Monday that as many as three killers are responsible for dumping bodies along Ocean Parkway.

Four bodies found in the Gilgo Beach area in December during the search for Shannan Gilbert, 24, of Jersey City, who is still missing, appear to be the victims of the same killer, Spota said.

Police Now Believe They Are Hunting Three Killers, Not One. 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera Reports.

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A head and hands discovered in the months following the initial discovery have been identified as those of Jessica Taylor, 20. Taylor's headless corpse was found in July 2003 in a wooded area in Manorville. She had been working as a prostitute prior to her disappearance.

Manorville Evidence Handout
(credit: Suffolk Co. District Attorney) CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO

"It's clear that whoever killed Ms. Taylor was intent on preventing her identity from being known, even going to great lengths to remove a tattoo," Spota told CBS 2's Kristin Thorne.

In addition, Spota said a woman's head, hands and right foot found along Ocean Parkway in April have been positively matched to the body of an unidentified woman also found in a wooded area in Manorville in 2000.

Spota said the two cases may be linked but they are not the same work of the killer of the four women discovered in December.

"The killer or killer of 'Jane Doe' went to great lengths to prevent identity of victim," Spota said.

A female toddler, believed to be 18 to 24 months old, was also found, wrapped in a blanket, along the highway. It is unclear whether she was the victim of a homicide.

Spota also said that the body of a victim found in the area on April 4 is that of an Asian male believed to be in his late teens or early 20s. His death is not thought to be connected to the others.

Eight sets of remains have been found in Suffolk County and two sets were found in neighboring Nassau County since December.

Suffolk County DA: Latest Victims Don't Appear To Be Linked To Previous Bodies. WCBS 880's Peter Haskell Reports

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Spota said at least two suspects killed the eight people whose remains have been found in his jurisdiction, judging from the methods and circumstances of the crimes.

Ocean Parkway Evidence Handout
(credit: Suffolk Co. District Attorney) CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO

"It is clear that the area in and around Gilgo Beach has been used to discard human remains for some period of time,'' Spota said. "As distasteful and disturbing as that is, there is no evidence that all of these remains are the work of a single killer.''

Of the Suffolk County victims, four had been identified earlier -- all of them prostitutes.

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(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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