None of the three bodies discovered Monday on Fire Island in New York belong to a woman police have been looking for since May 2010.

Now, authorities suspect more bodies could be out there.

Suffolk County police announced the discovery of the three bodies Monday, raising the number of victims found in close proximity to eight. What began as a hunt for a missing woman has become a hunt for a serial killer.

Police commissioner Richard Dormer said in December that finding the bodies in the same general location speaks for itself.

"It's more than a coincidence," he said. "We could have a serial killer."

Police first discovered four skeletal remains in December while searching for Shannan Gilbert, a missing prostitute from New Jersey. A fifth body was discovered last week.

None of the three bodies discovered Monday on Fire Island in New York belong to a woman police have been looking for since May 2010.

Suffolk County police confirmed that none of the bodies belong to Gilbert.

"We are not giving up the search for Shannon if it is determined that these remains are not her," Dormer said in a news conference Monday.

A spokeswoman with Suffolk County police department said the hunt for Gilbert and the potential serial killer will continue.

Investigators say there are substantial similarities in how the women died, although they declined to elaborate. Each of the previous five bodies were found wrapped in burlap, but investigators have not revealed if the bodies found Monday were left in the same way.

The five women identified so far were all prostitutes who advertised themselves on Criagslist.

It took more than a month to identify the four bodies found in December. The New York City medical examiner's office will assist Suffolk County officials with the latest discoveries.

The bodies identified in December include: Megan Waterman, 22, of Long Island, NY; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, of Norwich, CN; Melissa Barthelemy, 24, of Erie County, NY; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, of North Babylon, NY.

Lorraine Waterman Ela, the mother of Megan Waterman, posted a message on the Facebook page dedicated to the search for Shannan Gilbert: "I will be watching and praying for your family, hugs."

Authorities are asking the public for help, hoping someone will come forward with information.

"Someone must have some information," Dormer said. "Anything that they may deem to be significant or even insignificant may be significant to us. These were young women whose lives were cut tragically short."

Investigators have said they have no suspects at this time.