Netflix continues to release stunning true-crime documentaries in the blink of an eye, and most of the time, they leave viewers stunned to their core. One of the streaming platform's most recent additions to the genre is the chart-topping true-crime documentary Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, which delves into the excruciating search for multiple missing women and the Gilgo Beach serial killer.
While the Netflix video goes into great depth about the horrific killings, it glosses over one horrifying episode. The actual story revolves around the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, a 23-year-old escort on Craigslist, and how the early fruitless attempts to find her led to the discovery of other murder victims along Gilgo Beach on Long Island. Shannan's mother, Mari Gilbert, was a driving force behind the inquiry and its continuation, and her efforts were frequently mentioned throughout the series. Until she suddenly disappeared. Why? She, like her daughter, was brutally killed, but Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer omitted this awful twist of fate.
Mari Gilbert's Relentless Fight for Justice.
Mari Gilbert's primary goal after Shannan's disappearance and the discovery of the Gilgo Beach murder victims was to recover her daughter and fight for justice for all the women. Because the bulk of the women had worked as escorts and disappeared during appointments or had previously had encounters with a violent male, the authorities did not take the crimes seriously enough. Mari Gilbert did not hesitate to criticize the police for their early lack of effort, questionable techniques, and internal corruption, all of which contributed significantly to the discovery of the serial killer responsible for these crimes.
When Shannan's body was discovered 19 months after her abduction, and amid the burgeoning Gilgo Beach murder scandal, investigators reached an unsettling conclusion. Examiners determined that Shannan was not murdered, but her death was inconclusive, despite the fact that the circumstances of her death were identical to the Gilgo Beach killings, since, unlike the Night Stalker serial murderer, the Long Island killer followed a pattern.
Since Mari never gave up, many viewers began to wonder what had happened to her when she abruptly stopped showing up in any of the Netflix documentary's remaining material. The desire to witness Mari's response was especially strong after the Long Island Ripper was finally identified as Rex Heuermann in July 2023 and charged with the murders of seven people to date. However, it never materialized, and the documentary finally mentioned Mari's death in passing.
The Startling Death of Mari Gilbert
Without a question, the abduction, death, and possible murder of one of her kids, Shannan, was an unthinkable tragedy for Mari Gilbert. However, because she had a similar occurrence, the mother was not given the opportunity to move on. Mari was brutally and unimaginably murdered on July 23, 2016. One of her children killed the mother of four daughters: Shannan, Stevie, Sherre, and Sarra.
Sarra Elisabeth Gilbert was diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggled to manage serious mental conditions. In the days before Mari's death, Sarra called her mother over and fatally stabbed her after being admitted to the hospital multiple times and hearing voices. In addition to viciously beating Mari with a fire extinguisher, Sarra stabbed her an agonizing 227 times. Sarra was arrested as a result of the horrific act and charged with second-degree murder. At the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, Mari's daughter is presently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
Mari Gilbert never saw the prosecution of her daughter's potential murderer, nor did she have the opportunity to continue fighting for her daughter's justice. Mari died seven years before Rex Heuermann was apprehended, and there is no doubt that if she had lived, she would have worked tirelessly to put the Craigslist Killer behind bars much sooner.
Given Mari Gilbert's significant role in uncovering Heuermann's crimes and battling for the women who were killed and those who would have been targets, it's perplexing that the true crime series made no mention of her awful fate. However, Lost Girls, a 2020 mystery drama film on Netflix, and Twisted Sisters, a 2018 documentary series on Prime Video, delve into the details surrounding Shannan's tragic disappearance and death, as well as Mari's shocking murder.