Gilgo Beach Murders: How Authorities Tracked Down The Suspect?

International

oi-Prakash KL

A man suspected serial killer linked to a series of murders and the discovery of bodies at Gilgo Beach on Long Island was arrested on Thursday by Suffolk County in New York.

He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. He is a suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. His arrest came a year after the cops discovered a connection to him with an unsolved series of murders that occurred more than a decade ago.

“Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us. A predator that ruined families. If not for the members of this task force, he would still be on the streets today,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said at a press meet.

“To the family members of Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy and Megan Waterman. I can only imagine what you’ve had to endure over the last decade regarding knowing that your killer was still loose. God bless you,” Harrison added.

Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello were found dead in 2010 near a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

How the cops tracked down the killer?

The search for a missing woman in 2010 had thrown light on multiple sets of human remains at Gilgo Beach. The cops had found at least 10 sets of human remains across two Long Island counties before they discovered the remains of Shannan Gilbert.

During the investigation of the ‘Gilgo Four’ case, law enforcement officials meticulously examined phone records from two specific locations: midtown Manhattan and the Massapequa Park area in Long Island. According to court documents, these locations were identified as places where the suspect likely utilized a disposable phone.

“For each of the murders, he got an individual burner phone, and he used that to communicate with the victims. Then shortly after the death of the victims, he then would get rid of the burner phone,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said on Friday.

The murders occurred when his wife and children were out of town.

A task force was formed to solve the case in February 2022 and Heuerman came on the cops’ radar after a New York state investigator identified him in a database.

Cell tower records and physical description provided by a witness helped the cops to track down the suspect.

As the investigation progressed, the focus shifted towards individuals associated with a green pickup truck that a witness had observed the suspect driving.

Subsequently, authorities discovered that Heuermann is the owner and driver of a green pickup truck registered under his brother’s name. Also, the physical matched the description given by an eyewitness who lived close to Long island cell site.

Following the identification of Heuermann as a suspect in March 2022, law enforcement authorities initiated surveillance on him and his family, and proceeded to collect DNA samples from discarded objects.

Authorities connected Heuermann to the hair found on a burlap piece that was used to wrap one of the victims. The link was established through a hair sample obtained from a pizza box he had disposed of in a garbage bin in Manhattan back in January 2023, as reported by the authorities.

According to the prosecution’s bail application, DNA testing revealed that hair, suspected to belong to Heuermann’s wife, was discovered on or in close proximity to three of the murder victims. The DNA analysis was conducted on 11 bottles recovered from a garbage can outside the Heuermann residence, as stated in the court document.

Who is Heuermann?
Heuermann owns RH Consultants and Associates, a Manhattan architecture firm. He has a daughter and a stepson, according to a report in Associated Press.

During a YouTube interview on a real estate-oriented channel last year, he mentioned that he had been employed in the bustling center of New York City since 1987, portraying himself as a skilled problem-solver. He further expressed that his professional experiences had provided valuable insights into human behaviour, allowing him to develop a profound understanding of people.