By Canadian Press

Suspect in Gilgo Beach serial killings is charged in the death of a seventh woman

Dec 17, 2024 | 8:39 AM

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The New York architect facing murder charges in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings was charged Tuesday in the death of a seventh woman.

Rex Heuermann was charged with killing Valerie Mack, whose remains were first found on Long Island in 2000. Mack, 24, had been working as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family that year in New Jersey.

The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, prompting fears of a serial killer.

Over the years, investigators used DNA analysis and other clues to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers. In some cases, they connected them to remains found elsewhere on Long Island years earlier. Police also began reexamining other unsolved killings of women found dead on Long Island.

The case has dragged on through five police commissioners, more than 1,000 tips and doubts about whether there was a serial killer at all.

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Heuermann, who lived with his wife and two children in Massapequa Park on Long Island and commuted to a Manhattan architecture office, was arrested on July 13, 2023, and charged with murdering Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. He was charged in the deaths of three other women — Maureen BrTainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor — earlier this year. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In a June court filing, prosecutors said they had recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement that he used to “methodically blueprint” his killings — including checklists with tasks to tick off before, during and afterwards, as well as lessons for “next time.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — The New York architect charged in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings is set to appear in court on Tuesday, with prosecutors saying they will announce a “significant development” in the investigation.

Rex Heuermann is charged with killing six women whose remains were found on Long Island and has pleaded not guilty. But investigators are still looking into the deaths of several other people whose remains were discovered in the area.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office scheduled a news conference alongside local and state law enforcement to follow Heuermann’s morning court appearance but did not elaborate on what the announcement about the development would entail.

The six women Heuermann is accused of killing are Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen BrTainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor.

District Attorney Ray Tierney previously indicated that the 61-year-old is a suspect in the death of a seventh woman, Valerie Mack, whose partial skeletal remains were found in 2000. Mack, 24, had been working as an escort in Philadelphia and was last seen by her family that year in New Jersey.

Prosecutors are also looking into the death of Karen Vergata, whose remains were first discovered in 1996 and finally identified in 2022 after a new DNA analysis.

The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings dates back to 2010, when police searching for a missing woman found 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, prompting fears of a serial killer.

Over the years, investigators used DNA analysis and other clues to identify the victims, many of whom were sex workers. In some cases, they connected them to remains found elsewhere on Long Island years earlier. Police also began reexamining other unsolved killings of women found dead on Long Island.

The case has dragged on through five police commissioners, more than 1,000 tips and doubts about whether there was a serial killer at all.

Finally, a suspect was identified and taken into custody. Heuermann, who lived with his wife and two children in Massapequa Park on Long Island and commuted to a Manhattan architecture office, was arrested on July 13, 2023, and charged with murdering Costello, Waterman and Barthelemy.

The evidence included DNA from pizza crust in a box that Heuermann had discarded in a Manhattan trash can that authorities said matched hair found on a restraint used in the killings.

Heuermann was later charged with the death of Brainard-Barnes on Jan. 16, 2024, and with the deaths of Costilla and Taylor on June 6, 2024.

In a court filing for the most recent charges, prosecutors said they had recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement that he used to “methodically blueprint” his killings — including checklists with tasks to tick off before, during and afterwards, as well as lessons for “next time.”

In September, authorities released new renderings of an unidentified victim who was found in 2011. Officials said the victim, who for years they had identified as male, may have presented outwardly as female and died in 2006.

The Associated Press