Mari Gilbert’s Fight for Justice Exposed a Serial Killer — Then She Was Murdered by Her Daughter

Mari Gilbert, an outspoken advocate for murder victims, became of victim of murder herself.

Mari Gilbert was an activist and advocate for her late daughter, Shannan Gilbert, until her death. Facebook

To learn the full story, read my article on All That’s Interesting.

When Shannan Gilbert disappeared in May 2010, her mother, Mari Gilbert, refused to let the police brush it off. Shannan, a 24-year-old sex worker, had made a desperate 911 call before vanishing in Oak Beach, Long Island. However, law enforcement was slow to act, dismissing the case as just another missing person.

Mari wouldn’t stand for it.

For over a year, Mari pressured the police to take Shannan’s disappearance seriously. Her relentless devotion to her daughter finally paid off in December 2011 when Shannan’s body was found in a marsh near where she had made her final call for help.

But her discovery led to something far more chilling: the remains of several other women, all sex workers, buried along Gilgo Beach.

Mari’s determination had inadvertently exposed a serial killer who had been preying on women for years. However, even after the bodies were found, the police claimed Shannan’s death…