The Long Island Serial Killer - Part 2: Megan Waterman

 

Of the victims found along Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011, Megan Waterman was one of the youngest. Disappearing at just 20 years old in June 2010, Megan's case would become a tragic symbol of stolen youth and lost potential. A Maine native, Megan lived in Scarborough with her mother Lorraine Ela and young daughter Liliana. She became pregnant with Liliana at 16 and dropped out of high school, dedicating herself to motherhood. Though the journey wasn't easy, especially as a young single mom, Megan fell in love with her little girl.

 Megan tried holding down jobs to provide for her daughter, working as a cashier and waitress. But paychecks were never enough to cover bills and Liliana’s needs. Struggling financially, Megan turned to escorting as a way to supplement her income, posting ads online. For Megan, it was a means to an end - a way to give her daughter a better life. In June 2010, Megan left for New York City to meet a client who had booked her services. Police believe she met the client at the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, Long Island on the night of June 5. After calling her mother to say the date had gone well, Megan was never heard from again.

 At first, Lorraine Ela assumed her daughter had just extended her trip. But as days passed with no word, she grew frantic. On June 23, 2010, Lorraine reported Megan missing. She told reporters how uncharacteristic the disappearance was: “She would never, ever in her life abandon [her daughter].” The Suffolk County Police Department opened an investigation but had little to go on. Megan’s 7-year-old daughter Liliana became the focus of Lorraine’s efforts, now facing life without her mom. Family friend Alistair Harkness helped care for the little girl, telling the press: “Liliana asks where her mommy is, and we have to lie to her.”

 Six months passed with few answers. Then came the chilling break in December 2010 - Megan's body was one of the first found on Gilgo Beach. The news devastated those close to her. How could a young woman with so much ahead of her end up the victim of a suspected serial killer? At a 2011 news conference, Lorraine Ela spoke out about her daughter’s case, criticizing how police handle missing sex workers. “Because my daughter was an escort, I think they discriminated against her,” she stated. She believed Megan’s disappearance hadn’t been taken seriously enough. “It needs to change,” Lorraine urged.

 With Megan gone, her mother resolved to get justice and protect her granddaughter. She sued the Holiday Inn for negligence, alleging the hotel had poorly monitored the premises and failed to protect Megan from her client. The civil suit was settled in 2013. Police were sympathetic to the family's frustrations. “We take every missing persons report seriously,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said, denying allegations that Megan’s escort work affected the inquiry. Investigators vowed to pursue every lead in her case as part of the larger Gilgo Beach investigation.

Meanwhile, publicity around Megan's murder sparked activism around violence against sex workers. Advocates pointed to the stigma and blindness to dangers facing women in the industry. “Society kind of turns their back on them,” said Jessie Powers, a friend of another Long Island victim, Amber Costello. She helped organize community vigils and searches for the missing women in 2010, before the cases were known to be connected. Despite tragedy, Lorraine Ela found purpose in drawing attention to victims like her daughter. She used Megan’s story to speak out against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. “These women are someone’s daughters,” Lorraine said. In 2012, she attended the New York State Forum on Human Trafficking and urged more protections for sex workers.

 Megan's unsolved murder remained a priority for investigators as the Gilgo Beach cases dragged on. In 2013, police released new composite sketches of possible suspects, reigniting a search for leads. By then, the FBI had joined multi-agency efforts to hunt down the Long Island Serial Killer. Officials admitted needing a big break in Megan or other victims’ cases. Nearly a decade later, Megan’s family still longs for answers. Her daughter Liliana, now a teenager, lives knowing her mother’s hope of watching her grow up was destroyed. On the 10-year anniversary of Megan's disappearance in 2020, Lorraine Ela told Newsday: “It never goes away. Ever.”

Megan Waterman represents one of the Gilgo Beach killer’s youngest victims - a mother ripped away from the girl who needed her most. Her unsolved case continues to drive investigators and highlight the unchecked crimes against marginalized victims. Megan's lasting legacy remains underscoring that no matter one's profession or status, every life deserves dignity and justice.