New York ( CNN ) -- A year after police discovered four bodies dumped along a remote stretch of New York beach , authorities said Tuesday they believe they 've found the body of a missing New Jersey woman whose disappearance triggered the search . `` If it is Shannan Gilbert , then her location is indicative of her trying to make it to the causeway , '' situated northeast of where the remains were ultimately found , said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer . The suspected skeletal remains of Gilbert , 24 , were uncovered in a remote marshland on Long Island 's Oak Beach . Her disappearance in May 2010 prompted a search that has since unearthed 10 sets of human remains strewn across two Long Island counties , leading to national headlines and a hunt for a possible serial killer . A medical examiner is expected to determine whether the remains belong to the Jersey City , New Jersey , resident , whose death authorities have previously said is not likely attributed to the suspected killer . Police cut through a thicket of brush and bramble this week , expanding their search across swampland before uncovering Gilbert 's suspected remains . `` The terrain would have made it impossible for her to get to '' Ocean Parkway , Dormer told reporters . Homicide detectives spotted the bones at 9:14 a.m. Tuesday while riding atop `` an amphibious machine '' after having drained nearby areas last week in an effort to improve access and visibility . The remains were discovered about a quarter mile away from Gilbert 's pocketbook , which was found last week alongside a cell phone , shoes and a pair of jeans . `` It is certainly a sad day for the Gilbert family , '' Dormer added . After Gilbert vanished last year , the search for her led police seven months later to four bodies found along a quarter-mile stretch of Oak Beach . Additional remains were uncovered in subsequent months at neighboring Gilgo Beach and along beachfront property in Nassau County , about 40 miles east of New York City . Like the four victims found last December , Gilbert had advertised prostitution services on websites such as Craigslist . Gilbert 's sisters have said the missing woman was an escort who was visiting a client . They said she ran from the man 's house in a panic , saying someone was trying to hurt her . A man who lives a few miles from where the first set of remains were found told CNN that a young woman who `` looked like she was partying all night '' came to his door around 5 a.m. on May 1 , 2010 . `` She was screaming , 'Help me , help me ! ' and said somebody was chasing her , '' said resident Gustav Coletti , who called police . The woman then ran off , he said , just before a man drove up in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle and inquired of her whereabouts . `` This may be just a young lady ( who ) ran into the brush in hysterical state , fell down and expired for some reason , '' Dormer said Wednesday . The police commissioner last week announced that the investigation into the other bodies now is concentrated on the possibility of a single serial killer -- a departure from his earlier statements in which he said the bodies could be the work of one or more killers . It is unclear what prompted the change in focus toward one killer .
The remains are found quarter-mile from belongings found this week , police say . A medical examiner will determine if the remains are Oak . The search led to the discovery of other bodies , triggered a hunt for a possible serial killer . Remains of others were found on Oak and Suffolk County Police beaches and another location on Long Island 's .