Police have released the last known video of a woman who they believe fell victim to a serial killer more than a decade ago.
The victim, 22-year-old sex worker Megan Waterman, disappeared in 2010. In the newly released surveillance footage, she can be seen waiting at the front desk of a Holiday Inn in Hauppauge, New York on 6 June that year. Police believe these were some of her final moments.
“We believe she did leave the hotel that night to meet her killer,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Ms Waterman’s remains were found in December 2010 near Gilgo Beach, about 15 miles from the hotel. Police believe she was strangled.
She was not the only one. From 2010 to 2011, police found a total of 11 bodies in the same area. Six of them, like Ms Waterman, were sex workers.
“Multiple females, one male, and a toddler were robbed of their lives between 1996 and 2010,” police say on a newly revamped website devoted to the investigation. “The pursuit of a 2010 missing persons search unveiled their remains across Long Island; and, one of the most consequential homicide investigations in the history of Long Island began.”
Police believe a single serial killer may be responsible. But in 12 years, no arrests have been made.
On Tuesday, Suffolk County police said they were doubling the reward for any tips that lead to an arrest and conviction, from $25,000 to $50,000.
“While much great police work has been carried out in this case, the public’s help in identifying potential suspects or additional leads is critical,” Mr Harrison told NBC New York.
Ms Waterman was originally from Scarborough, Maine. When she died, she left behind a boyfriend and a four-year-old daughter, who is now 16.
Twelve years later, her sister is still demanding answers.
“While we had closure in a sense that her body has been found, this person is still out there,” Allie Pertel told WMTW. “Who knows who they could still be victimizing?”
Ms Waterman, like many of the victims, advertised her services as an escort on Craigslist. But Ms Pertel says that doesn’t make her any less deserving of justice.
“Nobody wants to do what they’re doing in that role,” she said. “But that’s where she found herself, unfortunately, and that should not dictate how long it’s taken or not taken to get answers.”
Police have asked anyone with relevant information to submit it through www.p3tips.com, gilgonews.com, or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-220-TIPS.
