Shannan Marie Gilbert was born on October 24, 1986, to Floyd Gilbert and Mari Cox Gilbert in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The family relocated to Ellenville, New York, in 1987. Shannan was the eldest of four sisters.

Shannan was placed under the care of her foster mother, Dyan Haslam. At the age of 14 she was able to return home for a little bit. Following an incident involving her mother’s then-boyfriend Rick Burner, Shannan were removed from their home again. She spent her childhood in foster care, separated from her siblings—Sherre, Sarra, and half-sister Stevie.

2003

• Shannan graduated from New Paltz Central High School, completing her studies two years ahead of most of her peers. After graduation, Shannan lived with her grandmother in the Village of Suffern, New York. She later moved with her boyfriend in North Carolina before moving to an apartment in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey in

2007

• She started working hard nights as an escort service. She used pseudonyms Sabrina, and often wore wigs and flashy clothes. Shannan was working at Lace Party Girls where she first came across local Alex Diaz — he served as a driver there. July 2007 Shanna was arrested by The Upper Saddle River Police in an undercover sting operation targeting escort services.
  

December

• Shannan started dating Alex Diaz 29-year-old with dark, shaggy hair. Their relationship became tumultuous, and during one of their arguments, Diaz severely assaulted Shannan, resulting in her needing a titanium plate in her jaw. After the surgery Shannan returned to their shared home.

June 23, 2009

• Shannan was arrested during a sting operation at a Route 17 hotel while working for an agency called Lace Party Girls. Arrest and Indictment . Party Girls Agency Shutdown after the owner of the agency plead guilty to three million money laundering. Shannan moved in with Diaz to his father’s home in Jersey City, and Shannan began looking to other agencies for work. Things continued to deteriorate between the two, and fights were becoming more common. 
  

2010

• Once Lace Party Girls Agency Shutdown, Shannan began posting ads on Craigslist, charging $200 an hour for her services. She retained two-thirds of the fee, with the remaining third going to Michael Pak, who provided transportation and security for her dates. Shannan enjoyed partying and used a mix of marijuana, cocaine, and prescription drugs. Despite these habits, she managed to avoid spending too much of her earnings, she could end a night with $600 or more.

April 30, 2010

• Shannan and Alex snuck Taco Bell into the theater where they’d watch ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street. Shannan and Alex returned home, where Shannan began getting ready for work.

May 1, 2010

• Micheal picks Shannon up from her apartment shortly after midnight. She has an appointment out-of-town, in Gilgo Beach, Long Island. The money is good though – $600 for a couple of hours. The client isn’t someone she had seen before, but everything seems normal and legit, which it was, for a time. This night though, things would go sideways and fast. Pak had brought Shannon to the private seaside town consisting of just 72 houses under the auspices of entertaining just one man: Joseph Brewer. Brewer’s life in Oak Beach, by the accounts of those who knew him, was that of an idle middle-aged bachelor with an appetite for paid sex. No one considered him to be dangerous.

4:51 am

• 911 dispatchers received a panicked phone call from Shannon saying “they are after me, they are trying to kill me” and was in full panic mode. Unfortunately, Police refuse to play or release this call in full. We have a partial transcript, which is frustrating and very unusual, typically police would make 911 calls public to see what could be gleaned, someone may recognize a voice, an accent, a background noise, a phrase, a saying, anything . . . . so its odd for this to be locked away? The police don’t do things like this because they feel like it, or by accident, there has to be a reason.
• As she fled Brewer’s house on foot, Shannan pleaded with several nearby residents for help, her distress evident in the audio of her calls. She expressed a profound fear for her life. After her final 911 call, Shannan ran into the night, and investigators later surmised that she met her tragic end in the Gilgo Beach marshes.

Shannan Gilbert – Disappearance Timeline (May 1, 2010)

• 12:00 AM – Shannan Gilbert meets a client in Midtown Manhattan.
• 12:20 AM – Shannan calls her driver, Michael Pak, and says she has finished with the client.
• 12:23 AM – Shannan places a 2-minute call to Pak.
• 12:25 AM – Shannan places another 1-minute call to Pak.
• 1:00 AM – Shannan and Pak leave for Oak Beach for an appointment with Joseph Brewer.
• 2:00 AM – They arrive in Oak Beach. Shannan goes inside Brewer’s house while Pak waits in the SUV.
• 2:30 AM – Shannan and Brewer leave the house in Brewer’s vehicle for about 15 minutes.
• 2:55 AM – Shannan places a call to a CVS in West Islip (460 Montauk Highway).
• 2:57 AM – Pak calls Shannan (3 minutes).
• 3:04 AM – Shannan calls Pak (6 minutes).
• 3:13 AM – Pak calls Shannan (1 minute).
• 3:15 AM – Shannan calls Pak (2 minutes).
• 4:09 AM – Shannan calls Pak (1 minute).
• 4:45 AM – Shannan becomes visibly agitated inside Brewer’s house for unknown reasons.
• 4:50 AM – Brewer asks Pak to remove Shannan from his house. Pak enters.
• 4:51 AM – Shannan hides behind a sofa and dials 911. The call lasts 23 minutes (4:51–5:14 AM). Reports state the call was transferred to the New York State Police instead of Suffolk County Police.
• 4:55 AM – Pak, now back outside, sees Shannan burst from Brewer’s house and tumble down the front stairs.
• 5:00 AM – Shannan knocks on neighbor Gus Coletti’s door, shouting “Help me!” Coletti opens the door and invites her in. Shannan continues yelling for help, then bolts out the door. Coletti calls 911.
• 5:10 AM – Coletti sees Pak’s SUV approaching. Pak tells him they were at a party and the woman got upset. Meanwhile, Shannan hides behind Coletti’s boat. She then runs off, turning right on Anchor Way, deeper into the community. Pak attempts to follow.
• 5:14 AM – Shannan’s 911 call ends after 23 minutes.
• 5:21 AM – Coletti calls 911 again, reporting the situation.
• 5:24 AM – Shannan bangs on Barbara Brennan’s door. Brennan also calls 911.
• 5:40 AM (some reports 6:00–6:10 AM) – Suffolk County Police arrive at Oak Beach. Shannan cannot be located. Pak has stopped searching and is driving home.

Shannan Gilbert Phone Records  Phone Records

• 04/30/10 10:02 PM NEW YORK,NY 2 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 4:51 AM – 911-000-0000 Emergency, 23
• 05/01/10 4:09 AM – NEW YORK,NY 1 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 3:15 AM – NEW YORK,NY 2 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 3:13 AM – Incoming, 1 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 3:04 AM – NEW YORK,NY 6 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 3:00 AM – Incoming, 3 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 2:57 AM – NEW YORK,NY 3 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 2:55 AM – BABYLON,NY 1 Oak Beach CVS
• 05/01/10 12:25 AM NEW YORK,NY 1 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 12:23 AM NEW YORK,NY 2 Michael Pak
• 05/01/10 12:20 AM NEW YORK,NY 3 Michael Pak

Shannan Gilbert vanished after making three distressing 911 calls. Early that Saturday morning, between 4 and 5 a.m., she contacted police while at the home of a Long Island client named Joseph Brewer in Oak Beach. During the calls, she repeatedly told the 911 operator, “There’s somebody after me,” expressing her fear and desperation.

December 13, 2011

• Police announced that the remains of Shannan Gilbert had been found in a marsh about half a mile from where she had disappeared. A week earlier, some of her clothing and belongings had been discovered in the same vicinity.

Suspects and Persons of Interest

Law enforcement has examined numerous persons of interest over the years while investigating the Long Island Serial Killer case. Public attention has repeatedly focused on individuals who were connected to the victims, lived in the area, or were linked through circumstance, controversy, or rumor. Some of these men were publicly named, some were scrutinized through media coverage, and others were discussed by attorneys or family representatives. Inclusion below does not imply guilt. Only officially verified facts are listed, with allegations clearly identified as such.

James Burke

• Former Suffolk County Police Chief
• Public allegations surfaced in December 2016 when the attorney for Shannan Gilbert’s family suggested a possible connection between Burke and the murders
• Burke was rumored to have engaged with sex workers, including one who alleged he engaged in violent behavior
• While serving as Police Chief, he intentionally blocked FBI involvement in the LISK investigation
• In November 2016, Burke was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for beating a suspect who stole a bag containing personal items and sex toys from his vehicle
• Burke pleaded guilty to assault and conspiracy
• Burke has never been formally charged with involvement in the Gilgo Beach murders

John Bittrolff

• Suffolk County resident
• Convicted in 2015 for the murders of two women in 1993 and 1994
• Suffolk County prosecutors publicly stated he may have been involved in additional murders
• Investigators noted similarities between Bittrolff’s known victims and women linked to the Gilgo cases
• Law enforcement has examined possible connections, but Bittrolff has not been charged in the LISK killings

Joseph Brewer

• Oak Beach resident
• One of the last confirmed people to see Shannan Gilbert alive
• Hired Shannan the night she disappeared
• Brewer stated Shannan became erratic before running into the night
• Brewer has consistently denied wrongdoing
• He has not been charged in connection with the case

Dr. Peter Hackett

• Oak Beach resident and neighbor of Joseph Brewer
• Two days after Shannan disappeared, Shannan’s mother, Mari Gilbert, received a call from Hackett
• Hackett allegedly claimed he was caring for Shannan and said he “ran a home for wayward girls”
• Hackett later denied having any interaction with Shannan and initially denied making the call at all
• Phone records confirmed Hackett contacted Mari twice following Shannan’s disappearance
• Questions remain regarding how Hackett obtained Mari Gilbert’s number
• Attorney John Ray has argued Hackett’s behavior mirrors the LISK pattern of contacting victims’ family members
• Hackett has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged

James Bissett

• Local businessman and aquarium owner
• Died by suicide two days after Shannan Gilbert’s remains were discovered
• Owned a nursery with access to burlap material, which fueled public speculation
• He has never been named an official suspect by police

A Closer Look at Dr. Peter Hackett

• Witness Joe Scalise reported claims that a friend, Mr. Canning, allegedly told him Hackett admitted sedating Shannan
• This information is third-hand and has never been proven in court
• Supporters argue Hackett may be unfairly targeted
• Critics argue his behavior and contradictions warrant scrutiny
• Hackett later moved away from Oak Beach, as did others tied to the case
• He remains a significant figure in public discussion of the case but has not been charged

Important Context

• Mari Gilbert remained firmly convinced Hackett played a role in her daughter’s death
• She repeatedly questioned how Hackett knew who she was and how he obtained her phone number
• Attorney John Ray emphasized that Hackett’s unsolicited contact mirrored the known pattern of taunting calls to Melissa Barthelemy’s sister, Amanda

Media Confrontation

• In 2014, Hackett was confronted by Crime Watch Daily reporters
• During questioning, he dramatically clutched his chest and appeared to fake a medical emergency before walking away
• The moment further fueled public suspicion and media discussion

Summary

Dr. Peter Hackett remains one of the most controversial non-charged figures in the Gilgo Beach investigation. Public opinion remains divided. He has been described as either a deeply suspicious individual whose actions raise serious questions, or an unfortunate person who became entangled in tragedy and public scrutiny due to poor judgment and conflicting statements.

• In 2014, Hackett was confronted by Crime Watch Daily reporters
• During questioning, he dramatically clutched his chest and appeared to fake a medical emergency before walking away
• The moment further fueled public suspicion and media discussion