by Major Announcement Planned in Investigation of Suspected Serial Murders in Long Island
Prosecutors in the investigation of the suspected serial murders of a group of women in Long Island’s Gilgo Beach have announced that a major development is forthcoming. This news comes as the prime suspect, Rex Heuermann, is due in court on Tuesday, facing charges in the deaths of three women.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney is set to make the announcement following a court hearing in Riverhead, New York. Heuermann, a 60-year-old architect, was charged in July with the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, whose bodies were discovered buried along a remote beach parkway. Prosecutors also suspect Heuermann in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who disappeared in 2007.
Despite Heuermann’s plea of not guilty, he has been held without bail at Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead. The arrest of Heuermann came more than a decade after police searching for a missing woman stumbled upon 10 sets of human remains hidden near Gilgo Beach. These deaths have long puzzled investigators and garnered significant public attention, even inspiring the 2020 Netflix film “Lost Girls.” Authorities believe that some of the slayings were the work of a serial killer, but they do not believe all the victims were killed by the same person. The majority of the killings remain unsolved.
Heuermann first became a suspect in 2022 when detectives linked him to a pickup truck seen by a witness when one of the victims disappeared. The following year, detectives obtained his DNA from a discarded pizza crust and matched it to a hair found on a restraint used in the killings.
Heuermann worked as a licensed architect in Manhattan and lived in Massapequa Park, a suburb near where the bodies were discovered.
The upcoming announcement from the prosecutors is expected to shed further light on this tragic series of events and offer some closure to the families and communities affected by these heinous crimes. As the investigation continues, authorities remain dedicated to bringing justice to the victims and their loved ones.
