A New Jersey escort was buried during a graveside funeral Thursday , nearly five years after her disappearance led to the discovery of 10 victims of a suspected serial killer on Long Island . Despite police pronouncements that the deaths of the 10 people — eight women , a man and a child — are unrelated to the Shannan Gilbert case , her mother and the family 's attorney repeated their assertions after the funeral that she was the 11th victim in the unsolved mystery . 'Absolutely , there 's no question in my mind : I do believe that it is all connected , ' Mari Gilbert told reporters just steps from where her daughter 's service was held . Mystery : The disappearance of Shannan Gilbert , a sex worker from New Jersey , tipped off a massive , years-long investigation into the deaths of at least 10 others found dumped at Long Island 's Gilgo Beach . Sad : Mari Gilbert prays over the coffin of her daughter , Shannan Gilbett on Thursday in Amityville , New York nearly five years after she went missing . The remains of Shannan Gilbert , 24 , of Jersey City , New Jersey , were located near a beach highway in December 2011 , more than 18 months after she was last seen screaming while fleeing a customer 's home in the isolated Oak Beach community on the south shore of Long Island . Police said she ran into a nearly inaccessible marshland and likely drowned ; the Suffolk County medical examiner has said the cause of death is undetermined . The 10 victims were found at least three miles west of where officials found Gilbert in the marsh near the Great South Bay . Investigators believe a possible serial killer — perhaps more than one — is responsible for those bodies . Police have not commented in recent years on any aspects of the investigation , saying they would issue a statement only when there were noteworthy developments . No suspects have been publicly identified . Finally laid to rest : Gilbert 's body remained at the Suffolk County medical examiner 's office for more than three years because the family was unable to pay for a funeral , attorney John Ray said . Area funeral directors donated their services , and the Amityville Cemetery donated a burial plot for the woman 's interment . Gilbert 's body remained at the Suffolk County medical examiner 's office for more than three years because the family was unable to pay for a funeral , attorney John Ray said . Area funeral directors donated their services , and the Amityville Cemetery donated a burial plot for the woman 's interment . A K-9 officer and his cadaver dog were on a training mission searching for Gilbert when they happened upon what would become 10 sets of human remains strewn along several miles of thicket adjacent to the Ocean Parkway . Police have said all the victims are somehow linked to the sex trade and that the toddler was the child of one of the sex workers . The family 's attorney said Thursday that an independent autopsy was recently performed by noted pathologist Dr. Michael Baden . Baden said Thursday his examination would take some time . Ray said he was perplexed over why police have not contacted him to discuss the results of his own investigation into Gilbert 's death . Police did not respond to requests for comment Thursday from The Associated Press . 'Honestly , I do n't know why they 're taking this tack , ' Ray said . Mari Gilbert speaks to reporters at the funeral of her daughter , Shannan Gilbett on Thursday , March 12 , 2015 , at Amityville Cemetery in Amityville , N.Y. Gilbert was a Jersey City , N.J. , prostitute whose disappearance in 2010 led to the discovery of 10 sets of human remains along a Long Island , N.Y. , beach highway . Police have said Gilbert 's death is unrelated to the killings of a suspected serial killer , but Gilbert 's family disputes that conclusion . ( AP Photo/Frank Eltman )
Shannan Gilbert , 24 , of Jersey City , New Jersey met with one final John in over a year before she disappeared for good . Police searched for May 2010 for the sex worker 's body and in doing so uncovered a mass grave for some 10 other slain prostitutes 3 miles away . Gilbert 's mother and some experts believe her death came at the hands of Long Island 's elusive Gilgo Beach Craigslist killer . However , police disagree and saw Gilbert died after fleeing the home of her last customer and possibly drowning in a nearby marsh .