The story of a Norwich woman who is believed to be a victim of the Long Island serial killer will be featured in a documentary to air Monday and Tuesday on A&E.

A year after bodies began turning up along Ocean Parkway in Long Island, local, state and federal police are still investigating. Ten victims have been found to date, including 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a mother of two.

Her family said Brainard-Barnes, who was faced with eviction, began working as an escort. On July 9, 2007, she left Norwich for a weekend in New York City, and her family never saw her again.

Her sister, Melissa Cann, is in contact with survivors of the other victims, including the three other women whose bodies were discovered near Maureen's remains on Dec. 13, 2010. (This information has been clarified from an earlier version.) They were Melissa Barthelemey of the Bronx, Amber Lynn Costello of North Babylon, L.I., and Megan Waterman of Scarborough, Maine. All had advertised on Craigslist. All had been strangled and their bodies discarded in burlap bags.

"Everybody thinks because these girls were escorts, they deserved what they got," Cann said in a phone interview. "This is not true. That's why the serial killer chose them. He didn't think the families were going to stand up and vouch for them."

The documentary, which airs Monday at 9 p.m. and Tuesday at 1 a.m., features interviews with the families and the Suffolk County police commissioner, she said.

Brainard-Barnes' family suffered another tragedy in August 2009 when her brother, William Vieu Jr., died in a motorcycle accident in Montville. Following his sister's disappearance in 2007, Vieu and Cann's husband had gone to New York City to search for her.

"All the hope I held that Maureen would come back slowly started to die out once my brother passed away," said Cann, the only surviving sibling.

Brainard-Barnes was the funny and smart one in the family, Cann said.

"She was a small, 5-foot girl, bubbly and full of energy," said Cann. "She did a lot for me in life, and I'm going to continue to help her."

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is urged to call 1 (800) 220-TIPS (8477) or text "SCPD" and your message to CRIMES (274637) or visit tipsubmit.com. All calls will be kept confidential.

k.florin@theday.com

For more on the program: http://www.aetv.com/listings/episode_details.do?episodeid=1278959