NEW YORK (Reuters) - The FBI on Wednesday joined the hunt for a possible serial killer suspected of finding prostitutes on Craigslist, after four bodies were discovered strewn along a New York beach, authorities said.
One of the bodies is believed to be Megan Waterman, 22, who was using the online classified ad site to solicit sex, said police in Suffolk County, N.Y., where the corpses were found.
Police believe one person killed the victims and dumped them along a quarter-mile stretch of beach on Long Island about 40 miles east of New York City.
Authorities suspect the culprit is a serial killer who may have murdered women in other states, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said.
The FBI met with local police on Wednesday to gather information and offer assistance, FBI special agent Richard Kolko said.
Authorities were investigating whether the slayings are connected to similar unsolved cases in other states.
Four prostitutes were found dead in Atlantic City, N.J., in 2006, and prosecutors there confirmed they are working with Long Island authorities to see if the cases are related.
Waterman, a known prostitute from Maine, disappeared in June after using Craigslist to meet up with a client on Long Island, police said.
Waterman's mother Lorraine Ela said from her home in South Portland, Maine that this was the first major breakthrough in locating her daughter.
"This is absolutely the hardest time for me and my family," Ela said. "I think deep down inside we were prepared to hear something like this, but we weren't trying to think like that.
"We've been more or less trying to think positive that she's alive and still out there," she said.
Authorities were awaiting results of DNA testing to determine if one of the bodies in Waterman, she said.
All four bodies were believed to be female, although they were decomposed and difficult to identify, police said.
Police made the grisly discovery while searching for another known prostitute, Shannon Gilbert, 24, of New Jersey, who disappeared in May, also after using Craigslist to meet a client on Long Island.
None of the bodies were believed to be that of Gilbert, however.
Skeletal remains of the first body were found on Saturday by a police officer. The other bodies were found on Monday, also on Oak Beach, along an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean.
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