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The women, all in their 20s, are at the heart of the Long Island serial murder case that has captured national and global attention following the arrest of suspect Rex Heuermann just over a week ago.
The 59-year-old married father of two, an architect who worked on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and resided in Nassau County in the village of Massapequa Park just miles north of the site where their bodies were found -- in a grassy area of Gilgo Beach, a barrier island off Long Island's south shore in the Suffolk County town of Babylon.
Heuermann was arraigned on murder charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, July 14, for the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. He's also the prime suspect in the disappearance and murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Investigators have found 11 bodies on Gilgo Beach and identified five of them.
The time frame for the murders is from April 20, 1996 to Dec. 13, 2011.
Here's a look at the four women at the heart of the case, with information from Suffolk County Police:
Melissa Barthelemy
Age: 24
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Background: The discovery of Barthelemy's body off the Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach on Dec. 11, 2010 was the first set of skeletal remains found in the case, and garnered national attention.
Last seen: At her residence, a basement apartment in the Unionport section of the Bronx on July 12, 2009. She told a friend she was going to see a man and would be back in the morning. This friend was aware she was a sex worker, but Barthelemy offered no other details. Her cellphone records show she traveled from the Bronx to Manhattan, most likely via taxi.
Megan Waterman
Age: 22
Hometown: Scarborough, Maine
Background: The skeletal remains of Waterman, who advertised escort services on Craigslist, were discovered along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, on Dec. 13, 2010.
Last Seen: In early June 2010 at a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, in Suffolk County. She was reported missing to the Scarborough Maine Police Department on June 8, 2010, after family members felt it was unlike her not to call them to check on her then-3-year-old daughter.
Amber Lynn Costello
Age: 27
Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
Background: The skeletal remains of Costello, who advertised escort services on Craigslist, were discovered in an area off Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, on Dec. 13, 2010.
Last Seen: Leaving her Suffolk County home in North Babylon in early September 2010. Police say she was a heroin addict who lived at the house with another woman and two men, who were also heroin addicts. She moved to Long Island from Clearwater, Florida.
Maureen Brainard-Barnes
Age: 25
Hometown: New London, Connecticut
Background: The skeletal remains of Brainard-Barnes, who advertised escort services on Craigslist, were discovered along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, on Dec. 13, 2010.
Last Seen: She was living in New London County, Connecticut, in the city of Norwich, when she is believed to have taken an Amtrak train from the coastal city of New London to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on July 6, 2007.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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