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Nassau County resident Rex Heuermann, age 59, of Massapequa Park, an architect and married father of two, was arraigned on murder charges in Suffolk County Court on Friday, July 14, in the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
The bodies of 10 people, nine of whom were women, are linked to the case.
Although not yet charged, he is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, according to the Suffolk County DA’s Office.
The women’s remains were found on the south shore of Long Island in December 2010 during a police K9 training exercise. Investigators said all four were killed between July 2007 and September 2010 in what became known as the Gilgo Beach murders.
Three more sets of remains were discovered on Monday, April 4, 2011—Valerie Mack, whose partial remains were located in Manorville in November 2000; an unidentified female toddler, who, through DNA testing was subsequently identified as the daughter of a woman whose remains were later found in Nassau County; and an unidentified Asian male, who was wearing women’s clothing.
A week later, the remains of two other victims, including the toddler’s mother, were found in Nassau County.
A Break In The Case
The case sat cold for more than a decade until a new task force was created in January 2022. The team was made up of special homicide detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department and the FBI, along with the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office.
Their big break came the following March, when a thorough review of all the evidence pointed them to a Chevrolet Avalanche that was registered to Heuermann at the time of the murders. A witness had described the vehicle as having been driven by Amber Costello’s killer.
With Heuermann now in their sights, investigators used over 300 subpoenas, search warrants, and other legal processes to collect evidence.
A review of the victims’ cell phone data showed that all four women, who were working as sex workers at the time, had been in contact with so-called burner cell phones, which are prepaid and anonymous.
Investigators tied cell phone billing records for Heuermann to cell site locations that those same burner phones reportedly used to arrange meetings with three of the victims, prosecutors said.
Police also discovered that Heuermann had used Barthelemy’s cell phone to check her voicemail and, on five different occasions, had called her family members and taunted them. In one call, he reportedly admitted killing and sexually assaulting the woman.
Pizza Crust Leads To Arrest
But the most damning evidence came from a pizza box that Heuermann tossed into a trash can in Manhattan in January 2023. According to prosecutors, a team that was surveilling him snatched up the box and recovered a partially eaten pizza crust.
The crust was sent to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory, which determined that DNA on it matched DNA from a man’s hair that had been found on the camouflage burlap that was used to restrain Waterman.
On another occasion, police recovered female DNA from bottles outside Heuermann’s home that matched DNA that was found on some of the victims. Police determined that the DNA was that of Heuermann’s wife, who was out of the state when the killings occurred.
Investigators also linked Heuermann’s email account to dozens of disturbing search queries, including “girl begging for rape porn” and “torture redhead porn,” prosecutors said. He also reportedly looked up numerous news articles about the Gilgo Beach murders.
Heuermann was arrested by Suffolk County Police on Thursday, July 13. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, and could face additional charges.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, July 14, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison thanked the multiple agencies involved in the investigation.
“Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us, a predator that ruined families,” he said. “If not for the members of this task force he would still be out on the street today.”
Harrison urged anyone with information in the case to contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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