Suffolk County police said tipsters have responded to their latest request for information in the investigation into 10 bodies that have been found along Ocean Parkway in the past 10 months, at least four of whom are believed to be victims of a serial killer.
A police spokeswoman said 22 tips have been received as of Thursday since investigators released sketches Tuesday of two of five victims who remain unidentified. They also released photos of jewelry found on a female toddler found near Cedar Beach and the partial remains of a woman now believed to be her relative discovered seven miles away near Jones Beach State Park.
The latest tips add to more than 1,200 that have been texted, emailed and phoned in since the investigation began.
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The five who have been identified were all women working as escorts. Police suspect first four found last December were slain by the same killer. The remains of a fifth, found this spring, belonged to a prostitute last seen in New York City whose mutilated torso was found in 2003 off the Long Island Expressway in Manorville.
The unidentified woman whose composite sketch was released this week was also found dumped in both Manorville and off Ocean Parkway. Police said she too is believed to have been a prostitute, although those two have not been definitively linked to the first four.
The other sketch released Tuesday was that of a young Asian man who police revealed was wearing women’s clothing, which led investigators to believe he too may have been an escort. They are still working on a composite sketch of another one of the victims.
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Investigators said the little girl was “non-caucasion” and that the partial remains of a woman also found near Jones Beach matched a pair of severed legs wrapped in plastic that washed up on Fire Island in 1996.
No suspects have been identified. There’s a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, the highest in Suffolk history.
Those with information can call Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6396, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-220-8477, text tips anonymously by texting “SCPD” to “CRIMES” (274637) or email information via www.tipsubmit.com
-With Associated Press