After years of being a mystery, the Long Island Serial Killer case finally had a breakthrough earlier this week when police arrested a suspect. The suspect’s name is Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old architect who lives near the location where multiple bodies were discovered over a decade ago. Currently, Heuermann is only charged in three of the murder cases, but additional charges may follow.

One of the key figures in exposing these murders is Mari Gilbert. Her story is portrayed in the Netflix original movie, Lost Girls, which can be streamed on the platform. Mari Gilbert is played by Amy Ryan and the film is directed by Liz Garbus. The story is based on Robert Kolker’s true crime novel, Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery.

In the movie, Mari Gilbert is a mother of three daughters who relentlessly pushes the police to find her missing daughter, Shannon Gilbert. In her efforts, the police uncover the bodies of several missing sex workers who were victims of the Long Island serial killer. Thomasin McKenzie co-stars as Sherre Gilbert, and Gabriel Byrne plays Commissioner Richard Dormer.

However, Mari Gilbert’s story does not have a happy ending. While her quest for justice exposed the serial murders, the police concluded that Shannon Gilbert was not a victim of the Long Island serial killer. They believed that she died from accidental drowning, but her family still believes she was murdered. Tragically, Mari Gilbert was stabbed to death by one of her other daughters, Sarra Gilbert, in 2016 during a psychotic episode. Sarra was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Despite her unfortunate end, Mari Gilbert’s legacy is that she helped bring attention to numerous murders that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Without her relentless efforts, the Long Island serial killer may have remained free.

The movie Lost Girls can be watched on Netflix, where it is available for streaming.