In Gilgo probe, cops eye missing person cases

Nassau and New York City police are re-examining hundreds of missing persons cases in a bid to help Suffolk authorities solve the mystery of four dead women whose remains were found in Gilgo Beach recently, officials said Tuesday.

In Nassau, missing persons squad detectives are reviewing about 350 cases involving women who vanished and never reappeared, police spokesman Lt. Kevin Smith said. They're looking most closely "at cases where females might have disappeared under suspicious circumstances and/or may have a history of running away," Smith said.

"We're looking at those cases to see if there's anything similar to what Suffolk is facing," he said.

Nassau has found no case matching Suffolk's circumstances yet, Smith said.

The NYPD missing person squad has also been helping Suffolk, said a police spokesman, who would not give details.

The efforts come as Suffolk authorities await forensic analysis of the skeletal remains found wrapped in burlap off Ocean Parkway on Dec. 11 and 13. Because it could prove difficult to identify the women - whose bodies may have lay undiscovered for up to two years - investigators are reviewing old missing persons cases to find potential relatives of the four. They hope to get fresh DNA samples from any matching relatives.

Suffolk police have said thousands of cases may be reviewed.

"It's really time to burn the midnight oil looking at records of missing persons," said Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI criminal profiler who has investigated serial murders but is not involved with this case. "It requires a lot of shoe leather."

The Suffolk probe includes dozens of detectives and the assistance of at least seven other agencies. Deputy Insp. William Neubauer, who was named spokesman for the probe last week, has not been available for comment this week.