After 11 victims’ bodies have been found over a decade ago on Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York, Rex Heuermann has been arrested by police.
Investigators have been trying to solve the murders of nine women, one man and a toddler, but it seemed, they did not have much luck until recently.
Officials were unsure whether they were dealing with one serial killer or multiple people who may have acted together. On Thursday, a break in the case was finally made, and Heuermann was taken into police custody.
Through a bail application, it was found that Heuermann had already been charged with three killings and is being suspected in a fourth. He was arraigned on Friday and has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He has been ordered to be held with bail.
Heuermann is an architect in Nassau County in Long Island and has resided there for most of his life. He is married and has two children.
Investigators already had many clues in their possession before the arrest, including a monogrammed belt and signals from several disposable phones.
It was found that the murderer called his victims before they disappeared. By tracking the phone signals, authorities found that the calls were originating from an area in Massapequa Park, which is where Heuermann’s residence was located, and nearby his office in Manhattan.
In addition to this, Heuermann googled many questions about the case including, “why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the long island serial killer,” and, “why hasn’t the long island serial killer been caught.” His search records also showed he looked up violent sexual acts, specifically with underage girls.
On Friday morning, officers surrounded Heuermann’s home in Massapequa Park and blocked off the street with other officers and official vehicles. The arrest was made on Thursday night in Manhattan and was announced Friday morning.
The murders first occurred in 2010 in a remote area of Gilgo Beach on Long Island.
It started when police were on the search for a 24-year-old woman named Shannan Gilbert, who was a sex worker, after she disappeared. While searching for Gilbert, authorities discovered multiple bodies in December 2010, including Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The bodies were wrapped in burlap sacks.
A few months later in March 2011, officers located partial remains of another victim, Jessica Taylor. More remains from her body were additionally found in Manorville.
One month later, three more bodies were uncovered, a toddler, a man and Valerie Mack. This did not end here and two additional bodies were located in a nearby area.
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In December 2011, Gilbert’s remains were identified on Oak Beach. Many of the women found were sex workers.
In May 2022, it was revealed that Gilbert called 911 before she disappeared while at one of her client’s homes. During this call, she stated multiple times, “There is somebody after me.”
On the burlap sacks the victim’s bodies were found in, DNA evidence from a piece of hair was located that matched DNA taken from crusts in a pizza box Heuermann discarded.
Neighbors were shocked to find out that Heuermann may have been the serial killer that haunted the area, not suspecting that he could be capable of anything this malicious.
The investigation is still ongoing and more details will be released.
