Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison On Gilgo Beach Murders: 'We Will Not Rest Until We Bring Those Accountable To Justice'
BABYLON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - More than a decade later, no arrests have been made in the Gilgo Beach murders, a case that has gripped the nation.
New to the job, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison is already promising victims' families his commitment to the case.
"We will not rest until we bring those accountable to justice," Harrison said.
As CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reports, Harrison is pledging to bring a new set of eyes to the investigation. The former NYPD chief got his own look at the site at the center of the unsolved mystery Friday. He also met with homicide investigators and former top brass in the decade-old cold case.
"Just of what I've seen so far, there's some great leads that are putting us in a great place to solve this case. We're getting there, but still some work needs to be done to get across the finish line," Harrison said.
"Lot of great work was done. I like to bring a fresh set of eyes from my experience being an investigator with the NYPD to make sure all the investigative leads are being done appropriately," he added.
The remains of 11 people were found along Ocean Parkway. It was the search for missing escort Shannan Gilbert that led to the grisly discovery of other bodies.
There are questions about how Gilbert died, but her family attorney is convinced.
"It's overwhelmingly obvious that Shannan was murdered," said attorney John ray.
The night she went missing in 2010, she made a 911 call. Ray has been fighting for police to release the recording.
"They are a key to the further investigation. I think the public will also be a little outraged and shocked about what they hear," Ray said.
Harrison said he will take the tapes public as long as it doesn't hinder the investigation.
"I would ask the commissioner to appoint a whole new staff of detectives to look at this ,to get rid of the old bones," Ray said.
"I put my money on the Suffolk County investigators and I'm very confident with my brief interview of what's been done so far, I like our chances," Harrison said.
Harrison said he can't get into how many suspects were involved - if it's one or multiple - since it's an active investigation, but they do have some things they're "working on."
"There's a commitment a relentless pursuit to identify the individuals and bring them to justice. That's for the family members to hear, to let them know that we will not rest, and we will make sure we do everything we have to do to hold them accountable," Harrison said.
"I'm pleased to know that the new commissioner plans to use new eyes to approach this case. I suspect, however, that he's going to run into, you know, a wall of police bureaucracy - pretty standard nowadays - and that bureaucracy is not going to be his friend. So he's going to have to really take them on in order for the right steps to be taken here I'm glad he's at least planning to do, so we'll see," Ray said.
Suffolk County District Attorney-elect Ray Tierney also said this case is a top priority for his administration, and he's looking forward to working will all law enforcement partners to help solve the case.
