But they haven't yet determined if Shannan was even murdered. She said that Mari contributed but noted that "all the families" banded together to advocate on the victims' behalf.

Mari Gillbert (L) and Amy Ryan as Mari Gillbert in "Lost Girls". My mom, my best friend, the person I relied on the most in this world is gone!!! Additionally, Mari and Ray filed a civil suit against Dr. Peter Hackett, who lived in the neighborhood where Shannan disappeared. Mari Gilbert, of Ellenville, passed away on Saturday, July 23, 2016. Shannan Gilbert's disappearance led to the discovery of 10 presumed victims of the elusive Long Island Serial Killer, but her mother Mari had to battle to get police to take her death seriously.

He added that Sarra had been hearing voices and “was convinced her mother was evil" when she killed her. … And she stabbed her to death.”. “It was quite a redemptive period for her actually because in the past she’d been accused of sometimes being neglectful of her children but she really stepped up when it came from Sarra,” Kolker added. In 2016, Mari’s 27-year-old daughter, Sarra Gilbert, fatally stabbed her mom more than 200 times and hit her with a fire extinguisher, NBC reported. Ray noted to Oxygen.com that Mari herself had a "rough life" and endured her own tough upbringing. Other families were worried that if they spoke up, they'd alienate police and potentially compromise the investigation, Kolker explained. Shannan Gilbert sisters Sarra, Stevie, Sherre now. They arrested Sarra later that day and charged her with criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree murder.

Amid the mystery surrounding Shannan's death, Mari was dealing with other family issues. Mari ended up getting temporary custody of Sarra's son. One of her four daughters, Shannan, tragically died … She “became increasingly involved in trying to help out [her daughter] Sarra, who was becoming more and more unstable and having more and more psychotic breaks," Kolker said. The wounds Mari suffered were horrific.

She. As police searched for her, investigators found the remains of four women in weedy areas along Gilgo Beach. “Nobody dreamed that the daughter was going to kill her mother,” he says. “It was schizophrenia,” attorney John Ray, tells PEOPLE. Police have previously theorized that Shannan may have been the victim of an accidental drowning, . investigators found the remains of four women in weedy areas along Gilgo Beach. Mari's death and Facebook page set up. Shannan, an aspiring singer, was using Craigslist to solicit sex work when she vanished in 2010 while visiting a client on Long Island. We tried to get Sarra help many times since she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in early 2014 and she would get better and then her condition would get worse.”, Laster says she “genuinely liked” Sarra. She was 52.