More Details On North Jersey Prostitute's Death Emerge

A New Jersey prostitute whose 2010 disappearance led to the discovery of 11 bodies on a Long Island beach may have been strangled, according to an autopsy report.

The family of Shannan Gilbert announced this past week that an autopsy performed by forensic pathologist Michael Baden didn’t conclude how the 24-year-old escort died, but he noted that she could have been the victim of violence, according to WNBC-TV.

Family members said the findings showed no evidence Gilbert died of natural causes, a drug overdose or by drowning, and should spur authorities to open a murder investigation into Gilbert’s death, according to the report.

The finding comes several years after Suffolk County, N.Y. medical examiners said the autopsy was inconclusive, and police had suggested Gilbert possibly drowned or succumbed to the elements not long after she vanished in May 2010, the report said.

Shannan Gilbert, 23, of Jersey City disappeared after visiting a client in Oak Beach on a barrier island off Long Island’s south shore, according to Fox News.

The murder has led to a large amount of media intrigue about a possible serial killer, and was the subject of a CBS “48 Hours” special.

A search for her first led to the bodies of four other prostitutes, all of whom were strangled and stuffed in burlap bags. A total of 11 sets of human remains were found at the scene, according to the Fox report.

In March 2015, Baden told FoxNews.com that Gilbert’s hyoid bone had a “rough edge” on one side, suggesting a fracture, and he conducted further testing on the bone and was preparing to pore over medical examiner photos and X-rays for analysis. A fracture to the hyoid bone is a typical sign of a strangulation, according to the report.

Photo: Courtesy of WNBC-TV