lostwithoutyou
Pray for the Missing ♥
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Gail Katz-Bierenbaum
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 7, 1985 from New York City, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 29 years old
Height and Weight: 5'2, 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair. Gail's ears are pierced. Her maiden name is Katz.
Details of Disappearance
Gail was last seen at the apartment she shared with her husband, Dr. Robert "Bob" Bierenbaum, in the New York City borough of Manhattan on July 7, 1985. A photo of Robert is posted below this case summary. Robert claimed that Gail walked out of the residence on East 85th Street after the couple argued during the day and never returned. He reported her missing to the authorities and also stated that he and Gail had been attending martial counseling sessions due to problems in their relationship at the time she vanished. Robert claimed that Gail had a history of mental illness, suicide attempts, and drug and alcohol abuse as well. Gail has never been heard from again. Gail's family refuted Robert's statements to investigators and said that Gail told them he had been mentally and physically abusing her for some time prior to her disappearance. Her family said that Robert once attempted to choke Gail after catching her smoking cigarettes, which Robert stated was "forbidden" in their household. He also tried to murder Gail's cat, according to Gail's relatives. Robert's attorney denied the Katz family's statements in 1985 during the initial 1985 investigation. Gail and Robert had been married since 1982 and had a stormy relationship for some time. She was working on a doctorate in clinical psychology at the time she vanished, while Robert was on-staff as a physician at a Brooklyn hospital in New York. Gail told friends that she had met another man and was planning to leave Robert; she had taken out a loan so she could pay for graduate school without his help. Investigators believed that Robert was involved in Gail's disappearance for many years and was responsible for her presumed death, but lacked evidence to make an arrest in the case. Robert moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1989 and set up a medical practice in the city. This was the same year that a partial female body washed ashore in Staten Island, New York. DNA tests were not available at the time, but authorities believed that the remains were Gail's after conducting x-ray exams on the corpse. The body was buried and it was assumed that Gail had been located, but the case remained unsolved. Robert married another doctor and the couple had a child together in the 1990's. Robert and his family moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where both he and his wife practiced medicine. DNA testing became available in 1997 and the body believed to be Gail's was re-examined at her family's request. Forensic results proved that the body was not Gail's and her case was officially reopened by New York authorities. Investigators questioned several of Robert's former girlfriends who had dated him after Gail disappeared. Robert was arrested with second-degree murder in Gail's case in 2000 in North Dakota after ample evidence was compiled to prove a case against him. He was then extradicted to New York to face trial. The majority of Robert's associates and friends were shocked by his arrest, saying that they had no indication he was capable of such violence. A former nanny who was employed by Robert and his second wife did tell investigators that Robert was very opposed to cigarette smoking. She claimed that he required her to wash her clothing if she was exposed to any smokers and seemed to be quite vehement about his beliefs. The nanny's claims appear to support the Katz family's statements about Robert and his reactions about smoking. Authorities believe that Robert, who is a licensed pilot, strangled Gail in their Manhattan apartment on July 7, 1985 and then dismembered her body. Investigators proved that Robert took a two-hour flight in a Cessna 172 from Essex County, New Jersey over the Atlantic Ocean the day Gail vanished. Robert failed to mention this fact to authorities during their initial questioning of him. Investigators believe that Robert dismembered Gail's remains in New York, placing her into a duffel bag and then tossing the bag into the ocean. Robert denied the allegations, but he was convicted of Gail's murder in October 2000 and sentenced to twenty years to life in prison in New York. He appealed, but the conviction was upheld in 2002. Gail was a graduate student at Long Island University at the time of her disappearance; she was studying for a doctorate in psychology. She has never been located, but she is presumed deceased due to the circumstances involved in her case.
Robert Bierenbaum:
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New York City Police Department
646-610-6914
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 7, 1985 from New York City, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 29 years old
Height and Weight: 5'2, 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair. Gail's ears are pierced. Her maiden name is Katz.
Details of Disappearance
Gail was last seen at the apartment she shared with her husband, Dr. Robert "Bob" Bierenbaum, in the New York City borough of Manhattan on July 7, 1985. A photo of Robert is posted below this case summary. Robert claimed that Gail walked out of the residence on East 85th Street after the couple argued during the day and never returned. He reported her missing to the authorities and also stated that he and Gail had been attending martial counseling sessions due to problems in their relationship at the time she vanished. Robert claimed that Gail had a history of mental illness, suicide attempts, and drug and alcohol abuse as well. Gail has never been heard from again. Gail's family refuted Robert's statements to investigators and said that Gail told them he had been mentally and physically abusing her for some time prior to her disappearance. Her family said that Robert once attempted to choke Gail after catching her smoking cigarettes, which Robert stated was "forbidden" in their household. He also tried to murder Gail's cat, according to Gail's relatives. Robert's attorney denied the Katz family's statements in 1985 during the initial 1985 investigation. Gail and Robert had been married since 1982 and had a stormy relationship for some time. She was working on a doctorate in clinical psychology at the time she vanished, while Robert was on-staff as a physician at a Brooklyn hospital in New York. Gail told friends that she had met another man and was planning to leave Robert; she had taken out a loan so she could pay for graduate school without his help. Investigators believed that Robert was involved in Gail's disappearance for many years and was responsible for her presumed death, but lacked evidence to make an arrest in the case. Robert moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1989 and set up a medical practice in the city. This was the same year that a partial female body washed ashore in Staten Island, New York. DNA tests were not available at the time, but authorities believed that the remains were Gail's after conducting x-ray exams on the corpse. The body was buried and it was assumed that Gail had been located, but the case remained unsolved. Robert married another doctor and the couple had a child together in the 1990's. Robert and his family moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where both he and his wife practiced medicine. DNA testing became available in 1997 and the body believed to be Gail's was re-examined at her family's request. Forensic results proved that the body was not Gail's and her case was officially reopened by New York authorities. Investigators questioned several of Robert's former girlfriends who had dated him after Gail disappeared. Robert was arrested with second-degree murder in Gail's case in 2000 in North Dakota after ample evidence was compiled to prove a case against him. He was then extradicted to New York to face trial. The majority of Robert's associates and friends were shocked by his arrest, saying that they had no indication he was capable of such violence. A former nanny who was employed by Robert and his second wife did tell investigators that Robert was very opposed to cigarette smoking. She claimed that he required her to wash her clothing if she was exposed to any smokers and seemed to be quite vehement about his beliefs. The nanny's claims appear to support the Katz family's statements about Robert and his reactions about smoking. Authorities believe that Robert, who is a licensed pilot, strangled Gail in their Manhattan apartment on July 7, 1985 and then dismembered her body. Investigators proved that Robert took a two-hour flight in a Cessna 172 from Essex County, New Jersey over the Atlantic Ocean the day Gail vanished. Robert failed to mention this fact to authorities during their initial questioning of him. Investigators believe that Robert dismembered Gail's remains in New York, placing her into a duffel bag and then tossing the bag into the ocean. Robert denied the allegations, but he was convicted of Gail's murder in October 2000 and sentenced to twenty years to life in prison in New York. He appealed, but the conviction was upheld in 2002. Gail was a graduate student at Long Island University at the time of her disappearance; she was studying for a doctorate in psychology. She has never been located, but she is presumed deceased due to the circumstances involved in her case.
Robert Bierenbaum:
Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
New York City Police Department
646-610-6914