New York ( CNN ) -- Police say they have discovered more human remains on a Long Island , New York , beach near where the corpses of four women were discovered last year . The remains of a fifth body were located west of Cedar Beach , Long Island , approximately one mile from where the other corpses were discovered in December , according to Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer . `` There may be clues available now with this body that will help the homicide investigation and will help it move forward , '' Dormer said . An investigation will be conducted to identify the remains . Meanwhile , police say , the hunt for a potential serial killer continues , as does the search for Shannan Gilbert , 24 , whose disappearance resulted in the finding of the other bodies within a quarter mile of each other . The four bodies have since been identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes , 25 , of Norwich , Connecticut ; Melissa Barthelemy , 24 , of Erie County , New York ; Amber Lynn Costello , 27 , of North Babylon , New York ; and Megan Waterman , 22 , of Scarborough , Maine . All four women found dead advertised for prostitution services on the website Craigslist , police said . The bodies were found in various stages of decomposition , and at least one could have been there for as long as two years , Dormer said . CNN 's Leigh Remizowski contributed to this report .
2012 : Police are investigating human remains found on a New York street . The remains were found near where four corpses lay last night . Police are still searching for a potential serial killer . The search for Shannan Gilbert led to the discovery of the four bodies .