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Heuermann’s 59-year-old wife, Asa Ellerup, and their two adult children were seen returning to their Massapequa Park home in Nassau County on Thursday, July 27, where investigators spent 12 days looking for additional evidence in the case.
The extensive search of the property included digging up the backyard with a backhoe and using ground-penetrating radar.
Inside the “very cluttered” home, detectives found at least 279 weapons that were locked in a large basement vault along with boxes of evidence, said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney, who announced he would prosecute the case himself.
"We have obtained a massive amount of material all of which has to be cataloged and analyzed,” Tierney said. “We won’t know what we have for quite some time."
Heuermann has been charged with murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. He is also the primary suspect in the disappearance and killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The women, all in their 20s and working as sex workers at the time of their murders, were found in December 2010 a grassy area of Gilgo Beach, a barrier island off Long Island’s south shore in the Suffolk County town of Babylon.
Their remains were among those of up to 18 people who were discovered in the area in 2010 and 2011 in what became known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Police believe the murders took place between 1996 and 2011.
Investigators are also looking into the possibility that Heuermann might be connected to other murders throughout the country including in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Las Vegas, and South Carolina.
Outside her house Thursday, Ellerup, who filed for divorce less than a week after Heuermann’s arrest, was clearly not happy with all the attention that her husband’s arrest has brought to her doorstep.
She was seen crying at times as she sifted through the belongings that were searched by investigators, Fox 5 reports.
“Don’t talk to me,” she repeatedly told reporters.
“Don’t even say a word,” her son added.
To help discourage unwanted visitors in the neighborhood, police have put up signs on their street prohibiting stopping and standing. They have also installed surveillance cameras on utility poles.
Heuermann is due back in court on Tuesday, Aug. 1.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Earlier Reports:
- Gilgo Beach Case: Suspected Killer Now Believed To Have Lured, Killed Victims Inside His Home
- Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Suspect's Wife Reportedly Files For Divorce
- 'How I Met Gilgo Beach Murderer': Northern Westchester Woman Reveals Chilling Story
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