KEY POINTS

  • Police identified the remains of “Jane Doe No. 6” using DNA technology
  • Former NYPD detectives chief says identification is a “game changer”
  • A serial killer is believed to have killed the victim and several others in Long Island

Using DNA technology, police have identified the body of a woman known as “Jane Doe No. 6” who was one of the victims of a culprit dubbed the “Long Island Serial Killer” by newspapers.

The woman’s remains were spread across several areas 40 miles apart in New York state. The remains were first discovered in 2000 at Manorville near two eastern forks that split Long Island. The other parts of the woman’s body were discovered 11 years later near Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County, New York on the Atlantic coast alongside 11 other bodies.

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

Investigators have so far been unable to pinpoint a suspect or whether the murders were done by a single person or multiple people. Investigators have said that it was unlikely that only one person killed all of the victims.

“Jane Doe No. 6” is the second woman found separated at the same locations. The skull of Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old prostitute who was reported missing in 2003, was found near Gilgo Beach. Most of what remained of her body were found in the woods near Manorville.

Former New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said the identification was a possible “game changer” for the investigation.

“I was hoping for this,” Boyce told Newsday. Boyce closely followed the case and said identifying the remains will allow investigators to gather new evidence from the victim.

New York earlier this year allowed investigators in Suffolk County to use the FBI to bypass state restrictions and use DNA samples to identify remains through relatives of either the murderer or the victim – a first for New York state.

Police previously revealed a photo of a black leather belt with the initials HM or WH – depending on the angle – that they suspect was handled by the still unidentified culprit.

Authorities at Suffolk County Police Department said that the belt did not belong to any of the victims.

New information would be released on a new website dedicated solely to the case, police said on a Facebook post.

RELATED STORIES
New York