Nightly News   |  April 08, 2011

Missing prostitute case points to serial killer

The hunt for a missing prostitute has led to the gruesome discovery of eight bodies on Long Island, four of them prostitutes who solicited clients on Craigslist. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>> back now with news about the hunt for a serial killer after a grisly discovery. the bodies of several women dumped on long island. here is peter alexander .

>> reporter: what started as a hunt for evidence in an effort to find a missing prostitute named shannon gilbert has quickly evolved into a gruesome murder victory. last month, another body, and this week, the remains of three more.

>> we're doing as thorough a search as we can. a diligent, systematic search.

>> the first four women found were the victims of a serial killer , all of them prostitutes in their 20s who advertised on craig's list, including kimberly's sister, amber.

>> it's sad, and i just wanted to get a chance to see where my sister was.

>> these grim discoveries mark the third serial kill er instances in three decades. the res djts are stunned. gilbert , just 24, was seen running away from a home here the night she disappeared last december and then showed up at gus' door asking for help.

>> someone screaming and banging on the door asking for help. i said, i'm calling the police, and she bolted out the door.

>> they will expand their search and told the gilbert family they won't stop searching until shannon is found.