News: Threats Made to Gilgo Beach Victim
(Long Island, N.Y.) Reports have surfaced claiming that members of an adult entertainment website threatened Gilgo Beach victim Amber Lynn Costello with violence eight weeks before she disappeared. The website advertises for escorts, massage parlors, and strip clubs among its services. One member claimed that he was “suckered” by Costello after paying two hundred dollars for sex.
The man complained through posts on the website about his experience in visiting the gray-shingled West Babylon home that Costello shared with her roommate. He stated that he was robbed by two men who knocked on the door with baseball bats, one of which claimed to be Costello’s boyfriend. After stealing his money, the men proceeded to fight him on the front lawn.
After vowing spiteful revenge, Costello’s angry client also claimed to have wished he brought his gun with him to the meeting. According to reports, Costello advertised herself as a southern girl named “Carolina.” Costello was raised in North Carolina with her family. Such anonymity in the escort business has made her case, along with those of the three other women who advertised on Craigslist, especially difficult to solve.
The client’s post attracted other members of the website who sided with him and expanded on the plots of revenge. In addition to referring to Costello with degrading names, they also stated that she wouldn’t be heard from again. One of the members was a self-proclaimed ex-con.
The original client allegedly posted Costello’s address, phone number, racy photos, and description of her home so that others could “help” with the plot. He later thanked the fellow members before claiming that he chickened out with the plan. He recanted his earlier posts after the Gilgo Beach victims were identified by claiming that he wouldn’t wish death on anyone. He stated to have only written the hateful words out of frustration, and ended the post by suggesting that karma was a factor in Costello’s death.
A neighbor of Costello claimed that the home was chaotic and constantly visited by police. He stated that there was always yelling and that a naked man once came to his door at ten in the evening. The man had been screaming “don’t let them kill me; he’s going to kill me,” making cries that were eerily similar to the last words allegedly heard from missing person Shannan Gilbert.
Costello’s roommate stated that she received multiple calls from her client on the night of her disappearance. The calls began at seven that night, and after three follow-up calls, Costello agreed to meet the client down the street at ten-thirty. The calls were believed to be made to get Costello to feel comfortable, leading her to venture alone during the night of her disappearance on September 2nd, 2010. Costello was a week away from her twenty-eighth birthday.
The offer for that night’s service was negotiated at the seemingly high price of $1,500. Costello was last seen leaving her home wearing a pink hoodie and jeans. Her roommate claimed that he didn’t want her to leave, and sometimes drove her to meet with clients. He also offered his cell phone for her to conduct her business and stated that most of the meetings occurred inside the home where he’d wait in the next room as an extra measure of protection.
Costello was four-feet-eleven-inches tall and weighed about a hundred pounds. Nonetheless, her roommate claimed that she acted invincible and that he once had to chase clients out of the home with a baseball bat after hearing threats of violence. He called Costello’s sister when she didn’t return that night. Costello’s sister had purchased her ticket to New York six months prior to her disappearance and expected Costello to check into rehab.
