Court documents reveal that Rex Heuermann, an architect from Long Island, New York, has been indicted for the murders of three women in the notorious Gilgo Beach serial killer case.
After his arrest in Manhattan on Thursday evening, Heuermann appeared in court in Yaphank, New York, the following Friday afternoon, pleading not guilty to six charges. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder.
Heuermann is associated with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, three victims discovered at Gilgo Beach in December 2010. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Presently, investigators are scouring a residence in Massapequa Park on Long Island, roughly 25 minutes’ drive from where 11 sets of human remains were unearthed along a suburban beach highway in 2010 and 2011. A search is also underway at Heuermann’s office in Manhattan.
Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone, who addressed media personnel gathered outside the Massapequa Park house on Friday, mentioned the Gilgo Beach investigation’s constant presence throughout his tenure. His team’s goal, he said, has always been to bring justice for the victims and closure for their grieving families. “Today’s developments take us a significant step forward in achieving that,” he added.
The ongoing police activities have roused the curiosity of locals in the suburban village of Massapequa Park, even amidst Friday’s morning rain.
Heuermann, a married man and father of two, resides on Long Island and operates his architectural business in Manhattan. In a YouTube interview with Bonjour Realty from February 2022, Heuermann described himself as an architect, consultant, and problem-solver, working in Manhattan since 1987.
Carol Bergen, a former neighbor, shared on Friday that Heuermann had once asked her brother if he had cried at their father’s funeral. Other locals in Massapequa Park described Heuermann as a “neighborhood creep,” recounting how police arrived at his residence on Thursday night.
One resident, whose property is close to Heuermann’s, expressed shock and fear upon hearing of the arrest. “It’s just very shocking and scary that this happened so close to home,” she remarked. “I’m glad they have him in custody, and I hope they figure out what really happened.”
These murders had remained a mystery for over ten years, since the search for missing escort Shannan Gilbert, 24, led police to discover several victims’ bodies east of New York City.
Gilbert had placed a call to dispatchers at 4:51 a.m. on May 1, 2010, stating, “There’s somebody after me.” Despite her plea, she couldn’t provide a precise location, only that she was in a house on Long Island, near Jones Beach.
Subsequent investigations led to the discovery of the “Gilgo Four”: Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Melissa Barthelemy.
In March 2011, parts of Jessica Taylor’s body were discovered near Gilgo Beach. Prior to this, part of Taylor’s body had been found years earlier and 40 miles away in Manorville, New York. Following this, three more sets of remains were found along Ocean Parkway, including 24-year-old Valerie Mack, an unidentified toddler, and an unidentified Asian individual, possibly a man or transgender woman.
Further discoveries in April 2011 included the remains of a woman, referred to as “Peaches,” believed to be the toddler’s mother and a woman’s skull linked to remains found on Fire Island in 1996.
