Serial Killer Victim ID'd As Woman Last Seen In Atlantic County

GILGO BEACH, New York — Twenty years ago, Valerie Mack went missing. Her family last saw the 24-year-old around Port Republic, New Jersey. Police said Thursday the remains found along a Long Island beach highway belonged to Mack — the potential victim of the unknown "Long Island serial killer."

The woman previously known as "Jane Doe No. 6" was identified through genetic genealogy, according to Suffolk County police. Authorities believe the LISK murdered 10 to 16 people over a period of 20 years, leaving their bodies in areas on the South Shore of Long Island.

Police surmised in 2011 that one person is responsible for 10 deaths, while two of the newest sets of remains might be the work of a second serial killer, according to The New York Times.

Mack, who also went by Mellisa Taylor, went missing in 2000. The 24-year-old was working as an escort in Philadelphia, according to Suffolk County police. Family last saw her in the spring or summer of 2000 in Port Republic.

Her partial remains were found later that year in a wooded area off Manorville in Long Island. In 2011, authorities found her dismembered remains along Ocean Parkway.

The victims found in the area were mostly women associated with prostitution. Each had been strangled and wrapped in a burlap sack before being dumped along Gilgo Beach. All are believed to have been killed elsewhere. Four bodies or sets of remains have been identified as missing sex workers who advertised their services on Craigslist.

Authorities found a head, right foot and hands on April 4, 2011, dubbing the identified victim as "Jane Doe No. 6." The victim — now identified as Mack — had her torso wrapped in a garbage bag and dumped in the woods.

Her right foot had been cut off high above the ankle, possibly to conceal a mark or tattoo, authorities said. This is believed to be the first time a New York law-enforcement agency has used genetic genealogy to identify an individual for a police investigation.

Four victims — three found in 2011 and another discovered in 1997 — remain unidentified.

The Long Island murders have attracted national attention and have been featured in several true-crime TV shows and was the subject of "Lost Girls," a recent Netflix film.

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