Disturbing New Developments in the Gilgo Beach Murders Case
Last July, Long Island resident Rex Heuermann was charged with four murders related to the infamous "Gilgo Beach Murders." Last month, disturbing new evidence has led to additional murder charges
Recent developments in the “Gilgo Beach Murders” case have caused authorities to reevaluate some of their previously held assumptions.
Last July, police arrested 60-year-old Rex Heuermann at his Massapequa Park, Long Island home and charged him with the murder of four women who had come to be known as “The Gilgo Four.”
They were 22-year-old Megan Waterman, 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, and 27-year-old Amber Lynn Costello. All four women worked as escorts, and all four disappeared after attending an appointment with a client.
The remains of the four women were discovered in December 2010 while police were investigating the disappearance of another woman named Shannan Gilbert. Over the span of three days during the search, the remains of the four women were discovered within a quarter-mile radius; all were about 500 feet from one another.
Richard Dormer, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department, stated that the location of the bodies was not a coincidence, and they appeared to have been dumped on the side of the roadway by the same person or persons.
From December 2010 to December 2011, the remains of 10 individuals were found in the area of Gilgo Beach, including those of Shannan Gilbert, whose disappearance had initiated the search and discovery of the others.
Prior to this discovery, four bodies had previously been found in the area; they were Sandra Costilla, whose remains were found by hunters in 1993. A Jane Doe nicknamed “Peaches” because of a peach tattoo whose partial remains were discovered in Hempstead Lake State Park in 1997, Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old woman whose partial remains were found in September 2000 in Manorville. And 20-year-old Jessica Taylor, whose partial remains were also discovered in Manorville in July 2003.
New Developments
At first, these older cases were thought to be unrelated to the ten victims found between December 2010 and 2011. Most of the victims discovered in 2010 and 2011 were young women in their twenties who were working as escorts when they disappeared.
The exception to this was the remains of an infant between 18 and 24 months, discovered in April 2011, and a young Asian man who was between 18 and 22 years old and was wearing women’s clothes.
DNA testing revealed that the infant was actually the daughter of the Jane Doe named “Peaches,” whose remains were found in 1997. They had likely been murdered at the same time. The identity of the young Asian man has yet to be determined.
When Rex Heuermann was arrested last July, he was indicted for the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
However, new evidence has emerged that has led authorities to charge him with two more killings. Heuermann has now also been charged with the murders of Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor. He is also a person of interest in the 2000 murder of Valerie Mack.
Sandra Costilla, whose remains were found by hunters in 1993, was originally thought to have possibly been a victim of serial killer John Bittrolff , who was active in the area at the time.
However, recent DNA testing on hairs recovered at the scene has now been reportedly linked to Heuermann, prompting these additional charges. These new developments have challenged authorities previously held assumptions about the scope and span of Heuermann’s alleged killings.
Disappearance of Shannan Gilbert
23-year-old Shannan Gilbert was last seen alive in the early morning hours of May 1, 2010. Shannan was working as an escort that night, and her driver had driven them to the client’s home in the Oak Beach community on Long Island.
Shortly before 5 am, Shannan Gilbert placed a frantic 23-minute call to 911, saying that someone was after her and they were trying to kill her. She attempted to get help by banging on neighbors’ doors before fleeing into the night screaming.
Discovery of the “Gilgo Four”
Throughout the summer of 2010, Suffolk County police searched for Shannan without success. Then, in December of 2010, Officer John Mallia of the missing persons bureau, along with his German Shepherd cadaver dog, searched along the shoulder of Ocean Parkway.
The dog hit on a scent and soon led Mallia to a skeleton wrapped in a deteriorating burlap sack. The remains would later be identified as 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, who had disappeared in July 2009.
Over the next two days, police would find three more sets of remains, each about 500 feet apart. The three victims were identified as 22-year-old Megan Waterman, who had disappeared in June 2010 after taking a bus from her home in Maine to New York City to meet a client.
25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes disappeared in July 2007 after taking an Amtrak from her home in Norwich, Connecticut, to New York’s Grand Central Terminal. 27-year-old Amber Lynn Costello vanished after leaving her home in West Babylon, New York, to meet a client on September 2, 2010.
Collectively, these four women came to be known as “The Gilgo Four,” and their discovery from December 11 to 13, 2010, all but confirmed to police that they were dealing with at least one active serial killer in the area.
More Bodies Found
After the initial discovery of the four victims in December 2010, investigators continued to search the area in an effort to find the remains of Shannan Gilbert as well as locate any other potential victims.
On March 29, 2011, human remains were found along Ocean Parkway. Initially labeled as “Jane Doe No.5,” they were later confirmed to be 20-year-old Jessica Taylor, whose partial remains had been found dumped in Manorville in July 2003.
On April 4, 2011, more human bones were found along Ocean Parkway. Initially labeled “Jane Doe No.6,” they were later identified as 24-year-old Valerie Mack, who had been living in Philadelphia and was working as an escort when she disappeared in the late spring or early summer of 2000.
That same day, investigators also discovered the remains of an unidentified Asian male and the remains of a toddler who was later determined to be the biological daughter of “Peaches,” the Jane Doe whose remains were discovered in 1997.
Discovery of Shannan Gilbert
Finally, on December 13, 2011, exactly one year to the day that three of the first four bodies were found, investigators found the skeletal remains of Shannan Gilbert. They were found in a marsh about a half mile from where she had last been seen.
However, her family and many others were stunned when, on May 4, 2012, Shannan’s death was ruled an accidental drowning by the Suffolk County medical examiner. Authorities claim that Gilbert was likely under the influence and accidentally drowned in the marsh.
They have said that her death was “Inconclusive” or “Death by Misadventure,” even though there is a recorded phone call of Shannan frantically telling the dispatcher that someone is trying to kill her.
In November 2012, Shannan’s mother, Mari, filed a lawsuit against the Suffolk County Police Department. In September 2014, an independent pathologist reexamined Shannan’s remains. During the examination, he concluded that Shannan’s hyoid bone had been damaged, suggesting she was strangled.
Despite this finding, Shannan’s death is still ruled as accidental. In 2020, the New York State Supreme Court ordered the Suffolk County Police Department to release the recording of Shannan’s phone call. They complied with this order in May of 2022.
2015-2020
Throughout the years, the investigation was hindered by the Suffolk County Police Department’s reluctance to work with other agencies on the case. Then, in December 2015, They announced that the FBI had officially joined the investigation.
This came two months after the former police chief resigned amid corruption investigations. (In 2016, he was sentenced to 46 months.) Under former chief James Burke, the FBI had assisted in the search for victims but was not officially involved in the investigation.
Progress in the investigation remained slow. Then, in January 2020, investigators released a photo of a black leather belt with half-inch embossed letters that are thought to be either “W.H.” or “H.M.” Officials stated that they believed the belt was used by the killer.
Arrest of Rex Heuermann
Rex Heuermann became a suspect in the case in May 2022 when a Chevrolet pickup truck that he owned was linked to one of the murders by an eyewitness.
On July 26, 2003, the day that two dog walkers found the severed legs and torso of 20-year-old Jessica Taylor, a witness remembered earlier seeing a dark-colored Chevrolet pickup truck in the wooded area where the remains were found.
As investigators scrutinized Heuermann’s phone records and internet browsing history, the results were damning. Police say that Heuermann had made phone calls to at least three of the victims, often using “burner phones.”
Heuermann is also said to have maliciously called and taunted the family of Melissa Barthelemy on at least five occasions shortly after her murder. Telling her family members, including her little sister, that he had raped and murdered Melissa.
His internet history was also examined, and it contained some very suspicious inquiries, including how not to leave forensic evidence, torture methods, and searches about the victims and their families, as well as police progress in the case.
In July 2023, Heuermann was arrested and charged with four counts of first and second-degree murder in the killings of the “Gilgo Four.”
Investigators searched Heuermann’s home and discovered even more chilling evidence. These included notes on the killings and reminders of things to do “better” next time. They also found sadistic bondage and torture pornography on his hard drive.
Interestingly, they found two books written by former FBI agent John Douglas, “Mindhunter,” and “The Cases That Haunt Us.” He appeared to have taken notes from these books on how to avoid detection and apprehension.
Additional Charges
Based on the new evidence seized from Heuermann’s residence, as well as recent DNA testing, Heuermann has been charged with two additional murders. The 2003 murder of Jessica Taylor and the 1993 murder of Sandra Costilla.
Investigators are still looking at Heuermann’s possible involvement in the murder of Valerie Mack.
As of June 2024, Rex Heuermann stands accused of six murders. A date for Heuermann’s trial has not been set.
Sources:
Sheehan, Kevin and Land, Olivia. “Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann nods as prosecutors read sickening ‘planning document’ in court.” 6 June 2024, New York Post, https://nypost.com/2024/06/06/us-news/gilgo-beach-suspect-charged-in-two-more-murders/
Cergol, Greg. “Architect suspected in Gilgo Beach murders is charged with the death of a fourth woman.” NBC New York, 17 January 2024, https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/gilgo-beach-serial-killer-rex-rex-heuermann-court-maureen-brainard-barnes/5043540/
Eberhart, Chris and Sabes, Adam. “Gilgo Beach murders: Accused killer Rex Heuermann taunted victims' family after her death, court docs say.” Fox News, 15 July 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/gilgo-beach-murders-accused-killer-rex-heuermann-taunted-victims-family-death-court-docs-say
Gilgo Beach Murders - Timeline of Events Up To 15 July 2023 https://www.reddit.com/r/GilgoBeachMurders/comments/150cnjs/gilgo_beach_murders_timeline_of_events_up_to_15/