New York ( CNN ) -- The remains of three additional people were discovered Monday morning near Gilgo Beach on Long Island , according to Richard Dormer , Suffolk County Police commissioner . A total of eight human remains have been found in the area since a missing New Jersey woman prompted the searches beginning in 2010 . Shannan Gilbert , 24 , of Jersey City , New Jersey , has been missing since May 1 and was last seen alive in the Gilgo Beach area . As authorities searched for clues about her disappearance last year , they uncovered the bodies of four prostitutes in various stages of decomposition . Police say the hunt for a potential serial killer continues , as does the search for Gilbert , who , like the women whose bodies have been found , advertised for prostitution services on such sites as Craigslist . An additional body was found March 29 off Ocean Parkway , west of Cedar Beach . When medical examination determined they were not Gilbert 's remains , the police continued to search , leading to Monday 's discovery . Gilbert 's family is being asked to identify whether the remains found Monday are those of their missing daughter , Dormer said . `` We should move forward to find out quickly if it 's her or not her . We put a priority on identification , '' Dormer said . `` We have n't given up on the search for Shannan Gilbert , '' Dormer said , `` just in case the remains we discovered today are not hers . '' Gilbert 's sister , Sheree Gilbert , told HLN 's Nancy Grace Monday night that her family was notified about the discovery of the latest bodies Monday afternoon . Authorities told them that DNA testing to determine identities will be done `` as soon as possible , '' she said . `` We 're just hoping and praying that it 's not her , '' she added . The initial four bodies were discovered stuffed into bushes on a quarter-mile stretch of waterfront property on Oak Beach , indicating `` they were dumped there by the same person or persons , '' Dormer said in December . `` It 's too coincidental that there were four bodies in the same location . '' The remains of the fifth body were found about a mile from where the other corpses were discovered , he said , refusing to disclose exactly where the three additional remains were found on Monday . Of the first remains found , all four women had advertised for prostitution services on the Craigslist website , with one body having been there for as long as two years , police said . The highway is closed Monday night with officers on guard from the Causeway to Nassau County Line so the search can resume Tuesday , Dormer said . `` The investigation is going to move forward over the next hours , and into tomorrow , '' days and weeks ahead , Dormer said .
Total of 8 bodies found during monthslong search for New Jersey woman . Several remains turned up so close together police believe same person `` dumped '' them . Search continues for original person .