Long Island serial killer? More remains found, 10 victims possible

(CBS/WCBS/AP) NEW YORK - Possible human remains were found in two locations along a remote New York beach highway Monday, bringing to 10 the number of potential victims of a possible serial killer.

Pictures: Long Island serial killer's victims?

The discovery came as police expanded a search from Long Island's Suffolk County westward into the Jones Beach area of Nassau County, just over the border from New York City. The expanded search was prompted by Suffolk's discovery in the past two weeks of four sets of unidentified human remains; the bodies of four women who worked as Craigslist escorts were found in the same area in December, leading authorities to suspect that they may be contending with a serial killer.

According to CBS affiliate WCBS, the highway runs along a barrier beach island south of Long Island and is home to several county and state-run parks featuring miles of white sandy beaches about 45 minutes from Manhattan.

Detective Lt. Kevin Smith, a Nassau County police spokesman, said the two sets of remains found Monday - separated by several miles along the north side of Ocean Parkway, were sent to the medical examiner's office to confirm whether they are human. Police also made several discoveries of bones Monday that were quickly determined to be animals.

Searchers found what appears to be a skull, but "whether it is human or not is unknown at this point," Smith told reporters of the second discovery of suspected remains Monday. He did not offer any description of the possible remains found earlier in the day.

Nassau joined the search this week after Suffolk police found eight victims dumped just steps from Ocean Parkway, a highway leading to the popular Jones Beach State Park.

Police in December were following up on the disappearance of a New Jersey woman seen working as a Craigslist escort in the Long Island area last spring when they happened upon the first of the corpses. None of the victims, however, is 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance remains an open case.

Complete Coverage of the Long Island murders on Crimesider