Shivangi Sinha
In May 2010, Shannan Gilbert vanished after making a frantic 911 call and appearing visibly paranoid. However, the investigation into her disappearance did not yield immediate results. Refusing to give up, her mother, Mari Gilbert, along with her daughters Sarra and Sherre Gilbert, became vocal advocates for answers. Mari’s relentless pursuit of justice played a crucial role in pushing authorities to conduct a broader investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders. Netflix’s ‘Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer’ presents a detailed timeline of Mari and her family’s fight for justice and how their efforts continue to impact the case today.
Shannan Gilbert’s Family Faced Tough Times But Always Had Love For One Another
Mari Gilbert was born on June 22, 1964, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Junerose and John Cox. While little is known about her early years, she was always deeply connected to her family, including her parents and sister. No matter where life took her, she always found her way back to them. When she moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her partner, she was eager to start a family of her own. On October 24, 1986, she welcomed her eldest daughter, Shannan. Her family grew with the births of her two other daughters — Sherre in 1987 and Sarra on January 17, 1989. However, Mari’s partner was never involved in raising their children, and she was left to raise them on her own.
After her separation, Mari relocated to Ellenville, New York, where she began a new life with her daughters. Not long after, her youngest daughter, Stevie, was born. However, Shannan and Sarra were placed in foster care on and off, though the reasons for this remain unclear. At one point, Sarra came back and forth to live with her mother. Some reports suggest that she and Sherre were victims of abuse at the hands of their mother’s boyfriends. By the mid-2000s, Shannan had returned home, but Sarra’s life took a different turn. She allegedly had an abortion when she was fourteen and dropped out of high school at 16. She then moved in with her 22-year-old boyfriend, who was allegedly involved in drug dealing. The two had a son, Hayden, in 2009. However, her life wasn’t peaceful and she later claimed to have endured domestic abuse from her partner and reportedly spent some nights in shelters as well.
Shannan graduated high school early, at the age of 16. According to Mari, she was a caring older sister who often helped Stevie with her homework. When Shannan expressed her desire to pursue a career as a singer, her family was fully supportive. They were shocked to learn that she had become an escort, but she assured them it was only a temporary measure of financial stability. They trusted her choices and were never critical of whatever she pursued. When she disappeared on May 1, 2010, her mother and sisters were deeply concerned and pushed for an extensive investigation. Sarra, in particular, meticulously tracked every detail, though it took a heavy emotional toll on her. The discovery of Shannan’s remains on December 13, 2011, brought the family some sense of closure.
Mari Gilbert Passed Away After Her Daughter Attacked Her
Mari Gilbert consistently voiced her belief that her daughter was a victim of the Gilgo Beach serial killer. She actively participated in vigils honoring the victims and became a leading critic of law enforcement, especially in the early stages of the investigation. She also publicly spoke out against James Burke. While authorities officially ruled Shannan’s cause of death as drowning, Mari never accepted this conclusion and pushed for an independent autopsy. The results suggested that her daughter may have been strangled. She remained determined to see her daughter’s supposed killer brought to justice, but she never got the chance.
By 2013, Sarra began experiencing severe mental health issues, and by 2014, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. On July 23, 2016, Mari went to check on her daughter, who had been having distressing episodes, at her apartment on Warren Street in Ellenville, New York. During this visit, Sarra brutally attacked her and stabbed her 227 times with a kitchen knife. Mari also suffered blunt force trauma to the head, and authorities determined that she had been struck with a fire extinguisher. Sarra was ultimately convicted of the crime and sentenced.
Sarra Gilbert is Currently Serving Her Sentence Behind Bars
Reports suggest that after Shannan’s passing, Sarra struggled immensely and began experiencing severe symptoms, including hallucinations. Given the hardships she had already endured, losing her sister was especially traumatic, and she started believing that Shannan was still alive. She reportedly began viewing her family, including her son, as “demons.” On February 19, 2016, she allegedly drowned the family dog in her bathtub, and during this period, she spent significant time in and out of psychiatric hospitals. As a result, her son was removed from her care, which further isolated her, and she withdrew from social interactions. On the morning of July 16, 2016, she called her mother and said that she was experiencing another episode and could hear voices in her head.
Mari rushed to Sarra’s apartment, where she was brutally attacked. Concerned after their mother stopped responding to calls, Sherre contacted the police, knowing that her sister had been having a tough day. Authorities arrived at the apartment around 2 pm and arrested Sarra. During her trial in August 2017, her defense team pleaded insanity, but the prosecution argued that she had long harbored resentment toward her mother and that her actions were the culmination of those feelings. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years. In November 2021, she filed an appeal, but it was denied. Now 36 years old, she is incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York. She will be eligible for parole in 2041.
Sherre Gilbert is Fighting For Her Sister Even Today
Sherre Gilbert has become a dedicated advocate for her sister and has shared Shannan’s story through various TV shows and documentaries. She has appeared in prominent productions such as ‘Disappeared,’ ‘48 Hours,’ ‘Dateline,’ and ‘Search for a Serial Killer.’ In July 2016, she publicly addressed her mother’s tragic passing and spoke about how difficult the loss had been. She also took over the Facebook page that had initially been created to raise awareness about Shannan’s case and has kept it active to this day. Through the platform, she continues to share updates and advocate for both sex workers’ rights and justice for murder victims.
Life has been increasingly difficult for Sherre, but she appears to have built a family of her own, though she prefers to keep her personal life private. According to the most recent records, she was still living in Ellenville, New York, likely staying close to her younger sister, Stevie Gilbert. She has spoken openly about how much she misses her mother, describing her as the “backbone” of their family. While she values her privacy, she speaks out when it matters, and her voice has remained one of the strongest in the ongoing fight for justice for Shannan.
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