The site where Valerie Mack was found

Crime Scene Location in Manorville, New York

This is the site where Valerie Mack was found.

It is situated in a wooded area near Halsey Manor Road in Manorville, New York.

Mack is believed to be a victim of the Long Island serial killer (LISK).

On the morning of November 19th, 2000, three pheasant hunters were walking along a trail in the area when their dog ventured into the bushes and located Mack's dismembered torso.

The remains of the 24-year-old sex worker had been wrapped in several layers of garbage bags and then dumped in the thicket beside an access road.

Manorville — One of the entrances to the wooded area where Mack's remains were found. Courtesy of the documentary "The Bad Place (The Hunt For The Long Island Serial Killer)".

It is likely that the killer was somewhat familiar with these wooded trails. Given the terrain involved, he was almost certainly driving a truck.

Crime scene — This west-facing aerial photograph shows police vehicles at the crime scene. The killer dumped Mack's remains close to where these two trails intersect. The most obvious reason for selecting this location is that it gave him enough space to reverse and then leave the same way that he entered. It was also far enough away from both of the main entrances.

To get in and out as quickly as possible, he would have had to enter the woods via the southern entrance on Mill Road and then drive northward along the trail for roughly 420 yards.

Aerial photograph — This aerial photograph was taken in April 2004. A gate was erected at the southern entrance at some point during the 2000s. The northbound trail above (blue line) is almost non-existent in Google Maps and newer aerial photographs. It is likely that the restriction on vehicle access led to it becoming overgrown.

After dumping Mack's remains in the bushes, it is likely that the killer reversed and headed back towards the Mill Road entrance.

This was the most optimal route if he wanted to minimize the amount of time he spent at the site.

Mack's killer dismembered her body in an attempt to hinder her identification. By removing her head and hands, he was able to prevent the authorities from cross-referencing her dental records and fingerprints.

This strategy largely worked, as she remained unidentified for two decades.

During this period, she was known as Manorville Jane Doe.

The rest of her remains were discovered at Gilgo Beach

On April 4th, 2011, the police discovered a female's skull, right foot, and hands near Gilgo Beach.

The victim was referred to as "Jane Doe No. 6" until DNA tests confirmed that the partial remains belonged to the same woman whose torso had been found in Manorville in 2000.

Due to her proximity to the other victims at Gilgo Beach, it quickly became clear that she was a victim of the Long Island serial killer.

In this case, LISK dismembered his victim's remains and dumped them at two locations that were 45 miles apart.

Despite finding her skull at Gilgo Beach, another decade would pass before the authorities were finally able to give Manorville Jane Doe back her name.

Valerie Mack Gilgo Beach — Mack's identifying remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach on April 4th, 2011.

Manorville Jane Doe is identified as Valerie Mack

On May 29th, 2020, the police announced that Manorville Jane Doe had been identified as Valerie Mack, a missing 24-year-old from Port Republic, New Jersey.

Investigators uncovered her identity using genetic genealogy testing, which enabled them to track down her son, Benjamin. Benjamin's DNA had been entered into the system after he was incarcerated for an unstated crime.

Mack was an escort who lost contact with her family during the fall of 2000.

She was born on June 2nd, 1976, as Valerie Lyn Fulton.

Her mother, Patricia Fulton, had a substance abuse problem. As a result, she spent most of her childhood in the foster system, moving from home to home.

The Mack family adopted Valerie when she was nine years old.

At first, everything was great, and she fit in well with her new surroundings. However, as she grew older, she started hanging around with the wrong kind of people.

As time wore on, Mack developed a drug addiction and became involved in the sex trade.

The last thing her family heard was that she was going to New York "with a guy."

Although they attempted to report her missing, the police were of the opinion that the young sex worker had willingly moved elsewhere.

At the time of her disappearance, Mack's last known address was in Philadelphia. However, she may have drifted toward New York.

When the identification was made, her family was understandably shocked to learn that her remains had been discovered 170 miles away at this remote site in Manorville.

Valerie Mack: Crime scene location

The address and the GPS coordinates for this location are as follows:

Address

Halsey Manor Road, Manorville, New York, NY 11949, USA

Map

To view directions on how to get there, you can use the Google Maps shortcut below:

Google Maps

GPS coordinates

The latitude and longitude coordinates for the site are:

40.880570, -72.791770

Photos

Photos of the site and other related images.

The Manorville site where Valerie Mack was found

Three hunters discovered Valerie Mack's torso close to a powerline access road that runs alongside the LIRR Main Line in Manorville.

Public statements from the Suffolk County Police Department suggest that Mack's remains were found near the intersection of Mill Road and Halsey Manor Road. This is inaccurate, as crime scene photographs show that the site was considerably further west, in a wooded area that is close to the railroad.

The imprecise SCPD description creates the impression that the killer pulled over to the side of a public road and then quickly dumped her remains.

However, this was not the case.

Accessing the site is not a straightforward endeavor for vehicles, as both entrances bring you through narrow wooded trails.

The fact that the Long Island serial killer drove into one of these obscure entrances indicates that he is somewhat familiar with Manorville.

This theory is further supported by his decision to reuse Halsey Manor Road as a dump site following the murder of Jessica Taylor in July 2003.

Powerline access road

Image source: The Bad Place (The Hunt For The Long Island Serial Killer)

This powerline access road runs alongside the LIRR Main Line and the Peconic River.

Southern entrance

The southern entrance provides direct access to the trail where Mack's remains were found.

It is unlikely that someone drove through this narrow, wooded pathway with dismembered remains in their vehicle unless they knew exactly where it led—especially if it was late at night.

Google Street View shows that there are no street lights along this stretch of road.

We know from previous cases that serial killers prefer to operate in places where they feel comfortable. This is because operating in "unknown territory" can be risky and unpredictable.

Again, this shows that the Long Island serial killer is at least somewhat familiar with this area of Manorville.

Due to the terrain, it is likely that he was driving a truck or another 4x4 vehicle.

Locals have said that people do not drive into these woods unless they have a truck, van, or some other type of off-road vehicle.

Coordinates: 40.876680, -72.792139

Google Maps

Eastern entrance

This Google Street View image of the eastern entrance on Halsey Manor Road was taken in May 2012.

Both entrances are relatively obscure. Neither have street lights.

Coordinates: 40.886349, -72.782052

Google Maps

Valerie Mack crime scene

In this comparison image, we've matched a crime scene photograph of the site with a satellite image from 2001.

We highlighted certain points by adding color-coded dots.

Note that the Mill Road trail is difficult to see in modern-day satellite photos.

Trails

This is the wooded trail where her torso was found.

Locals do not believe that a complete stranger to Manorville would have ventured into this area.

Woods

There are a number of interconnected trails in the area that hunters, hikers, nature enthusiasts, and dirt bike riders like to use.

It is also frequently used as an illegal dumping ground for household waste.

The body was discovered by three hunters

This newspaper article was published in the Daily News on November 29th, 2000.

The area is a popular destination for hunters and naturalists.

Detective Athur Ahl stated his belief that Mack's remains were dumped in the area at some point between October 8th and November 5th. The autopsy estimated that she was killed between late August and early November.

Manorville in 2001

This aerial image from 2001 shows the access road and various trails.

Although the SCPD said that she was found near Mill Road and Halsey Manor (blue circle), this is imprecise. In reality, the killer dumped her remains further west (red circle).

Mack's remains were discovered at two different sites

Mack's remains were discovered at two locations that are 45 miles apart.

Although her torso was discovered in November 2000, it wasn't until April 2011 that her skull, hands, and foot were uncovered in the bushes near Gilgo Beach.

The police theorized that the killer removed her foot because it may have had a tattoo or another identifying mark.