A decade-long pause in the infamous Gilgo Beach murder spree on Long Island might simply be the result of the serial killer controlling their depraved urges, according to forensic experts.
Forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston told The U.S. Sun there’s always a chance the person or people responsible for the deaths of at least 10 people whose remains were discovered on the Long Island waterfront in 2010 and 2011 are going “through a period of their life where something else is satisfying them,” she added.
“There’s a sense, I think, sometimes we’ve had for a long time that serial killers don’t have control on what they do and they do,” she said.
“They may have these urges. They may talk about this kind of pressure to repeat it, and I think for some that probably is true, but it doesn’t mean that they’re going to grab somebody in front of a police officer.”
She added: “So, they do have some control,” adding that serial killers could also age out of committing murder.
There’s also a chance the murderer is already behind bars for another crime — and authorities don’t know it, she noted.
Forensic psychologist Dr. John Delatorre told the U.S Sun a serial killer’s emotional state also could affect their desire to kill again.
“This is a long time, and so, you’re fantasizing about how that’s going to go. And so then, you do it,” he said.
“And then, you get all these different emotions. Sometimes you feel good, sometimes you feel bad.”
Disputes remain whether all the victims were killed by a single person, but Long Island officials are convinced the deaths of four female escorts were the work of one individual.
The so-called “Gilgo Four” — Megan Waterman, 22, Amber Lynn Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, and Melissa Barthelemy, 24, were found whole, wrapped in burlap in 2011 about one-tenth of a mile apart of each other on the beach.
Last year, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison announced the creation of a special joint task force to crack the cold cases.
“I believe this case is solvable and identifying the person or people responsible for these murders is a top priority,” said Harrison, the NYPD’s former chief of department, at the time.