WANTAGH, New York - Suspected human remains were found in two locations along a remote New York beach highway on Monday, bringing to 10 the number of potential victims of a possible serial killer.

The discovery came as police expanded a search from Long Island's Suffolk County westward into the Jones Beach area of Nassau County, just over the border from New York City. The expanded search was prompted by Suffolk's discovery in the past two weeks of four sets of unidentified human remains; the bodies of four women who worked as Craigslist escorts were found in the same area in December, leading authorities to suspect that they may be contending with a serial killer.

The highway runs along a barrier beach island south of Long Island and is home to several county and state-run parks featuring miles of white sandy beaches about 45 minutes from Manhattan.

Detective Lieutenant Kevin Smith, a Nassau County police spokesman, said the two sets of remains found on Monday - separated by several miles along the north side of Ocean Parkway, were sent to the medical examiner's office to confirm whether they are human. Police also made several discoveries of bones on Monday that were quickly determined to be animals.

Associated Press