Warning; Spoilers Ahead!!

Sixteen girls killed and not a murder in sight. The movie Lost Girls tells the gruesome story of the string of murders in Long Island New York. 

This disturbing movie will keep you on your toes and go from hating a character to loving one. The movie is told from the Gilberts family point of view. The characters consist of Mari, the mom, Sarra, the youngest daughter, and Sherre, the middle daughter. The other daughter who wasn’t pictured in the movie, Stevie Gilbert, spoke quietly on the event because it impacted her significantly. Shannan was not living with her family and obtained her money through prostitution. One night, Shannan called 911 frantically describing how she was being followed. No one arrived until an hour later and there was no sign of Shannan. The question remains: if first responders got there earlier, would the outcome of the story be different? The police were no help in the situation, so Mari decided to fight for justice for her daughter. Without Mari’s determination, the other victims in Long Island would have never been found. Mari tracked everything and found objects that revealed more to the story of the victims in Long Island alongside her daughter. They were able to uncover the many bodies along the highway but there was still no sign of Shannan’s. 

The police then realized they have a serial killer on their hands. Mari never lost hope, but she just wanted peace in knowing if her daughter was murdered or kidnapped. Eventually family members of the victims found a vigil for Shannan and they all set out to search.

After weeks of long searches in the marshes they were able to recover  Shannan’s wallet. Shortly after, the bones of Shannan’s body were discovered. Emma Schlotter, a school friend, commented on this scene saying, “This part was devastating because I remained hopeful throughout the movie that she was alive.” The family was never given justice as the serial killer still remains unknown. This incident left a long-term effect on the family. The youngest daughter, Sarra, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and shortly after the discovery of Shannan’s body, she lashed out into an episode. Sarra became very violent with her mom who was trying to calm her down but Sarra stabbed her mother to death. Claudia Jalosinski, another school friend who also viewed the movie, was shocked by this part, she said, “I would have never seen that coming and I even had a hard time telling that Sarra was mentally ill to begin with”. Sarra still remains in jail today while her sisters are still out fighting for Shannan’s justice. This movie keeps you on your toes and makes you expect the unexpected. It would be interesting to see if the case would be reopened after this new movie was just released on Netflix. Julia Post, another school friend, says “I really feel like this case should be reopened after watching the movie. Shannon and her family deserve justice. It is very heartbreaking”. Before its release on Netflix it was named a New York Times best seller. If there is one thing to take away from this movie, it is to hold the people who are special to you close because you never know how much time you have left with them.