Investigating the Reasons Behind Why the Case Remains Unsolved, “Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer” Podcast Goes Live Today

It’s been over a decade since 11 bodies were found on the coast of Long Island. While many have attempted to solve the murders, no one has looked into just why the case remains unsolved… until now. Against a backdrop of police corruption, sexual misconduct, and cover-ups at the highest levels of the Suffolk County Police Department co-hosts Alexis Linkletter (The First Degree) and Billy Jensen (The Murder Squad) investigate the investigation itself to expose the untold story of the Long Island Serial Killer. In a search for answers to one of the biggest unsolved murder mysteries in American history, the seven-part true-crime podcast series UNRAVELED: LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLER releases today and will release weekly on Wednesdays on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On May 1, 2010, a young sex worker named Shannon Gilbert went missing. In searching for her, Suffolk County uncovered 10 additional bodies, beginning an exhaustive and coordinated investigation assisted by the FBI. After Gilbert’s body was finally recovered on December 13, 2011, most stories of the Long Island Serial Killer end. This is where UNRAVELED begins.

For Long Island natives Linkletter and Jensen, this is a personal journey. In UNRAVELED, the two shed a light on the tight-knit community that may be hiding the clues to the mystery, reveal witnesses that have been silenced, and expose the tangled web of corruption, sexual deviation, and the potential cover-up of the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK). Just two days after the discovery of Gilbert’s body, James Burke was named chief of police. Burke immediately blew up the investigation, dismantling the team that had handled the case from the beginning, and mysteriously blocked the FBI from assisting in the case any further. After Burke was arrested on civil rights violation charges in 2016, new doubts were cast on the integrity of the LISK investigation, and the corruption within the police force was blown wide open. Now, with exclusive interviews from those who worked on the investigation, both then and now, as well as an explosive interview with Christopher Loeb, the man who helped put Burke behind bars, UNRAVELED explores how corruption within the Suffolk County PD could have severe implications on the investigation. And, perhaps most ominously, how Burke, the then chief of police, is shrouded in accusations of being tied to the deaths.

The Long Island Serial Killer is the first case in the UNRAVELED anthology podcast and series, with future seasons dedicated to covering different captivating true crime stories. Additionally, a companion two-hour special, UNRAVELED: THE REAL STORY OF THE LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLER, will begin streaming on discovery+ on Tuesday, March 9.

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ABOUT THE UNRAVELED HOSTS

Alexis Linkletter

Alexis Linkletter is a Long Island-raised and Los Angeles based true-crime documentary producer, podcaster, and investigative journalist with a focused interest in serial killers and police corruption. As a producer, she has been instrumental in the creative launch of several TV series, including “Unmasking a Killer” for CNN and “Deadly Recall” for Investigation Discovery. As a writer, she has contributed several true crime stories and essays to Vice on topics ranging from murder and matricide to the death industry and public policy reform. She is also an active podcast producer, writer, and interviewer who has conducted more than 100 hours of interviews with law enforcement personnel, victims’ family members, and convicted criminals for the podcast “The First Degree” with Billy Jensen and Jac Vanek.

Billy Jensen

Billy Jensen is a true-crime journalist, author, producer, and investigative reporter. Originally from Long Island, NY, he has spent more than 20 years reporting about true crime stories, including unsolved murders, missing persons, and serial killers. He has solved or helped solve ten homicides and helped locate missing persons and law enforcement agencies now enlist Billy’s help as a “consulting detective.” Billy’s 2019 book, “Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders” (Sourcebooks/Audible) was a New York Times Bestseller. He also helped finish Michelle McNamara’s #1 New York Times bestselling book, “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” about the hunt for the Golden State Killer, which was adapted into an HBO docuseries. He produces two podcasts, “Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad” with Paul Holes and “The First Degree” with Alexis Linkletter and Jac Vanek.

UNRAVELED is produced by Joke Productions with Joke Fincioen, Biagio Messina, and Jeff Kuntz as executive producers, with Thomas Cutler and Tim Baney as executive producers for discovery+.