Authorities say Mack was working as an escort in Philadelphia at the time of her disappearance, and family members last saw her in the spring or summer of 2000 in the area of Port Republic, New Jersey.
[Ads /]
She also went by the name of Melissa Taylor.
Mack's partial remains were found in a wooded area off Halsey-Manor Road in Manorville the same year she went missing, and more than a decade later, her dismembered remains were found along Ocean Parkway.
The police department worked with the FBI using DNA techniques to identify Mack.
[Ads /]
"For two decades, Valerie Mack's family and friends were left searching for answers and while this is not the outcome they wanted, we hope this brings some sense of peace and closure," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said. "I would like to thank the FBI for its continued support and partnership in the Gilgo Beach homicide investigation and for their assistance utilizing scientific techniques that has moved this case forward. We will continue to use every investigative tool available to aggressively investigate these murders."
Police are still searching for the person who killed 11 people whose remains were found at Gilgo Beach.
----------
* More Long Island news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts