As Long Island police continue searching for more remains on Jones Beach Island, professional and armchair serial-killer and criminology specialists are lining up to offer profiles of the suspected strangler. But considering the slim amount of information that has been released about the case, anyone with a working knowledge of Law & Order could probably have come to similar conclusions:
He is most likely a white male in his mid-20s to mid-40s. He is married or has a girlfriend. He is well educated and well spoken. He is financially secure, has a job and owns an expensive car or truck. He may have sought treatment at a hospital for poison ivy infection. As part of his job or interests, he has access to, or a stockpile of, burlap sacks.
That profile, which the Times put together with a group of experts, expands neatly with the briefer profile that we mentioned last week. The profile did make one interesting point about the killer that we hadn't seen before. Namely that there may be an interesting clue in the fact that all of the identified bodies belonged to women who were reported missing in the summer (July 9, 2007; July 12, 2009; June 6, 2010; and Sept. 2, 2010): “There may be a seasonal nature to his connection to the area, or to his fantasy and ritual,” former FBI agent Jim Clemente told the paper. “It may be the time his wife or kids or parents are away for the summer.”
In the meantime, if the Suffolk County Police, which are leading the investigation, have a suspect they are doing a good job of keeping it out of the press.
