Gilgo Beach murders: What we know and what we don't about the ongoing investigation

The arrest of Rex Heuermann for some of the Gilgo Beach murders represents a major advancement in a case that has baffled law enforcement and frustrated victims’ families for more than a decade.

Prosecutors and law enforcement say the breakthrough was a combination of new forensic techniques, cell phone locations as well as a new approach to pursuing leads in the case.

But there are still many questions: Heuermann was charged with three murders, and is likely to be charged with a fourth. But over the years, at least 11 victims were cited as being part of the Gilgo Beach murders though officials are not yet connecting Heuermann to those killings.

What are the Gilgo Beach murders?

In December 2010, Suffolk County Officer John Malia and his K9 partner Blue were conducting a training exercise along Ocean Parkway at Long Island’s Gilgo Beach when the pair found a set of human remains belonging to Melissa Barthelemy, according to court records. Shortly after, investigators discovered three more bodies — those of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. The women, known as “the Gilgo Four” were described as “petite” sex workers in their 20’s and all had been found in close proximity, bound in tape or belts and wrapped in a burlap material.

By 2011 seven more bodies were found — five women, one man and a toddler — in remote parts of the beach, though the manner of their deaths and the conditions of their remains differed from the Gilgo Four and their killings may have pre-dated the others.

Police were flummoxed for years and drew criticism for not prioritizing the investigations because most of the victims were sex workers.

Who did they arrest this week?

Rex Heuermann, 59, is an architect and consultant living in Massapequa Park, NY on Long Island, just about 15 miles from where the bodies were discovered. He had an office in Manhattan where he was arrested Thursday, officials said. On Friday afternoon he was arraigned at criminal court in Riverhead and charged with six counts of first- and second-degree murder for the killings of Barthelemy, Costello and Waterman. Prosecutors suggest it’s likely he will also be charged in the murder of Brainard-Barnes.

Neighbors described the home where he lived with his wife and daughters as unkempt and said the family kept to themselves. In a recent interview about his consulting business, Heuermann described himself as a “troubleshooter” for developers seeking to do business with the city’s Department of Buildings. Heuermann pleaded not guilty Friday.

Why did the arrest happen now?

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said a task force was convened in January 2022 to reexamine the case. It comprised investigators from his office, the FBI, the New York State Police and the Suffolk County Police.

Tierney said there were several factors leading to a break in the case, including technological advancements and a new approach to how investigators operated.

Building on prior investigations, the task force was able to narrow the field to search for a tall, heavy-set, middle-aged white man who had owned a first-generation Chevy Avalanche and lived around Massapequa Park. Heuermann fit the bill and with the approval of a grand jury, investigators placed him under constant surveillance.

Authorities say they found that burner phones used to contact the women matched the locations of Heuermann’s cell phone around the times of the killings.

They also tracked his online activity and found a litany of searches for “torture porn” and child pornography — with graphic descriptions of women and children being abused and raped. Along with those searches, investigators said Heuermann was closely following any progress in the investigation. They reconsidered their media strategy in the case so as to avoid tipping off Heuermann on how closely he was being watched.

“We knew we were playing before an audience of one person,” Tierney told reporters Friday.

A major break came in the form of a pizza box.

While DNA from the crime scenes was degraded, investigators were able to find hair on the victims that they believed belonged to the killer. Under constant watch, Heuermann discarded a pizza box outside of his Manhattan office in June of this year that investigators quickly snatched up and sent to a lab for analysis.

Advancements in the analysis of mitochondrial DNA helped law enforcement match the DNA on some uneaten pizza to the hair found on the victims. Tierney said this form of DNA analysis was not advanced enough to be used in 2010 and 2011 when the bodies were discovered.

“Back in 2010, the technology wasn't there for mitochondrial DNA,” Tierney said. “So the investigation proceeded but also technology proceeded as well.”

What about the other victims?

Tierney declined to go into detail about the other victims, some of whom haven’t been identified. It’s unclear if authorities think the other cases are related. But Tierney said “This case is not over — it’s only beginning.” He suggested there were other persons of interest involved in those cases, but emphasized the importance of keeping current investigations under wraps — citing secrecy as one of the most important tactics used to ensnare Heuermann.

“We’re going to maintain that investigative secrecy,” Tierney said. “So when I talk about other individuals in other cases it will be after they have handcuffs on them.”

The other victims found near Gilgo include:

Shannan Gilbert, 24, a Jersey City-based actress and sex worker who went missing in May 2010 and whose body was later found near Gilgo. Gilbert’s disappearance and her family’s advocacy are credited with launching the investigation that eventually led to the discovery or identification of the 11 bodies.

Valerie Mack, 24, went missing in 2000 but her remains were not identified until 2020.

Jessica Taylor, 20, went missing in 2003 and some of her remains were discovered that year. Others were found in 2011.

Unidentified: At least two other women are still unidentified, along with a man authorities described as Asian and in his 20’s. A toddler, believed to be the child of one of the victims, was also found in the same area officials said.

This story has been updated to correct the month when a K9 officer first discovered remains.