GILGO BEACH MURDERS: LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLER SUSPECT CAUGHT

A suspect has been apprehended by the police in connection with the notorious Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island. These murders, which involved a series of killings, began in December 2010 when the first body was discovered.

Suspect In Custody Amid Gilgo Beach Murders Investigation

A suspect has been arrested by the police in one of America’s longest-standing and highly debated unsolved serial murder cases. The police in Suffolk County, Long Island, have reportedly taken the suspect into custody in relation to the Gilgo Beach murders. Witnesses have observed Suffolk and state police at the location on First Avenue in Massapequa Park this morning, July 14.

The suspect has been identified as Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old architect. According to News12 Long Island, there is a significant police presence in the area. Video footage from the scene shows two police vans parked on a residential street — one belonging to the Suffolk County Police and the other to the State Police Department. Additionally, the local Nassau Police Department is reported to be present at the scene as well.

Investigators and detectives have been observed at a highly active scene, as described by witnesses. Neighbors are reportedly expressing shock at the unfolding events taking place right in front of their homes. One neighbor, who has lived in the normally peaceful neighborhood for 30 years, expressed surprise at the sudden and significant police presence. An eyewitness informed the US Sun that the police were seen taking away a large cooler from the house.

A significant police operation is underway in Massapequa Park, with reports indicating that it started in the early morning hours as part of the Gilgo Beach investigation. Police dogs have been seen at the scene, and officers are diligently searching the surrounding area. They are carefully examining the bushes and vegetation in their efforts to gather information and evidence.

A suspect has reportedly been arrested for the Gilgo Beach murders

Image: AFP via Getty Images)

There is currently no information available about the suspect, and it remains unclear what triggered the recent progress in a case that has spanned over a decade. The unidentified perpetrator in the Long Island Serial Killer case has been referred to by different names throughout the unsolved investigation, such as the Gilgo Beach Killer.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, the suspect is currently under scrutiny for the murders of the “Gilgo Four” women. These four victims were discovered wrapped in burlap within a few days of each other in late 2010. It appears that the suspect is not being linked to the other six victims previously believed to be connected.

The source further mentioned that the suspect is expected to appear in court within a few hours. The police have not yet disclosed any details about this recent operation.

An attorney representing the families of Jessica Taylor and Shannan Gilbert spoke to News12. According to John Ray, he had been in recent communication with the police regarding the investigation, with the latest conversation taking place just last week.

He expressed that they had been hearing reports about the case progressing and nearing a resolution, although they were initially skeptical due to similar claims in the past. However, he mentioned that they received a highly credible tip less than a week ago, indicating that an arrest was imminent. The information they had suggested that the arrest would likely take place in Nassau, but beyond that, they had limited details.

In 2019, a belt was discovered during the Gilgo Beach murders investigation. In December 2020, the police released additional photos of the belt, which showed the letters ‘HM’ or ‘WH’ embossed on the tip of the worn leather. The authorities believe that the belt, found at a crime scene in Gilgo Beach during the initial investigation, was handled by the perpetrator and did not belong to any of the victims.

Thirteen years ago, Megan Waterman, a sex worker from Portland, Maine, went missing in Hauppauge, New York. Several months later, her body was found alongside the remains of three other sex workers on a stretch of highway.

The victims, later called “The Gilgo Four,” were discovered near Gilgo Beach on the southern shore of Long Island. The search for 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert from Ellenville, New York, led to their discovery. The Gilgo Four include Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Their remains were found intact, wrapped in burlap, and located within a short distance of about one-tenth of a mile from each other.

A graphic shows the location of the victims found in and around Gilgo Beach on Long Island (

Image: Suffolk County Police Department)

On the night she went missing, Shannan made a distressed 911 call. Witnesses reported seeing her banging on doors in the gated Oak Beach neighborhood, desperately seeking assistance. The subsequent search for Shannan led to the discovery of multiple remains hidden in thick bushes along the Ocean Parkway. As per the information provided on the Gilgo Case website, ten individuals or bodies have been officially connected to the case, while there are seven additional cases that are believed to be linked.

The victims officially linked to the case are Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, an unidentified Asian woman, an unidentified infant (Baby Doe), an unidentified African-American woman known as ‘Peaches,’ and an unidentified woman known as the Fire Island Jane Doe. There are several potentially related cases that include Shannan Gilbert, Andre Isaac, Jacqueline Smith, an unidentified victim known as ‘Cherries,’ Tanya Rush, an unidentified Asian woman, and Tina Foglia.

Although law enforcement has not officially connected Shannan Gilbert to the list of murder victims, it was her distressed 911 call and the subsequent search for her that led to the discovery of those victims. On May 1, 2010, Shannan, who was a sex worker from out of town, along with her driver Michael Pak, departed for a client’s residence in Oak Beach.

At 4:51 am, Shannan made a frantic call to 911, expressing that people were attempting to harm her. Oak Beach residents, including Gus Coletti and Barbara Brennan, were the last to see her alive.

While searching for Shannan in the thick bushes along Ocean Parkway, more bodies were discovered. Among them were the remains of Megan Waterman, a 22-year-old from Portland, Maine, Amber Lynn Costello, a 27-year-old from Wilmington, North Carolina, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year-old from Groton, Connecticut, and Melissa Barthelemy, a 24-year-old from Buffalo, New York.

The initial discovery of a body occurred on December 11, 2010. The victim was Melissa Barthelemy, a young woman aspiring to become a hairstylist. She was last seen alive on July 12, 2009, near her apartment in the Bronx. Melissa had been strangled.

On the same day, a bank’s security camera captured Melissa Barthelemy depositing $1,000. Shortly after she went missing, her sister received multiple calls from an individual using Melissa’s phone, who claimed to be her killer. These calls originated from busy places in New York City, such as Madison Square Garden and Times Square.

Just two days later, on December 13, 2010, the bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Amelia Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered near Gilgo Beach, close to Ocean Parkway. All three women had been strangled.

Maureen Brainard-Barnes was last seen on July 9, 2007, inside her room at the Super 8 Hotel in midtown Manhattan. She had left her hometown of Norwich, Connecticut, to meet a client she had arranged through Craigslist. Outside the hotel, she was robbed and decided to return home. Her last known phone call was made from Penn Station to her sister, Missy. Maureen was officially reported missing on July 14, 2007.

Shortly after Maureen went missing, one of her friends received a call from an unidentified man using an unknown phone number. He claimed to have recently seen Maureen and mentioned that she was staying at a “w***ehouse in Queens”. However, he refused to provide any further details about himself or the location of the house.

Megan Waterman was last seen on June 6, 2010, at 1:30 am as she left a hotel in Hauppauge, New York. She had been staying at a Holiday Inn Express, and surveillance cameras captured her in the hotel lobby and later left the building.

Megan resided in Scarborough, Maine, and would regularly call home to speak with her young daughter multiple times a day while she was in New York. The last phone call was made on the evening of June 5. Her body, along with the others, was discovered on December 13, 2010. Medical examiners determined that she had been strangled.

On April 16, 2011, the police confiscated the laptop belonging to Megan Waterman’s boyfriend and pimp, Akeen Cruz. They intended to search for any client records that could potentially help them identify the killer. In April 2012, Cruz pleaded guilty to federal charges related to transporting women across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activities with clients. Consequently, he received a three-year prison sentence.

Amber Lynn Costello’s roommate last saw her on September 2, 2010.. She had plans to meet a client who had contacted her multiple times and offered to pay $1,500 for her services. The last call occurred at 10:30 pm, during which the client mentioned being parked nearby. Amber left her home in North Babylon without her phone, wearing a pink hoodie and jeans.

Amber Lynn Costello was originally from Wilmington, North Carolina, and had lived in Florida for a few years before. After her second marriage ended in 2009, she relocated to New York.

Jessica Taylor, on the other hand, was originally from Poughkeepsie, New York. She left home during her teenage years and eventually settled in Brooklyn. For about three years, she was under the control of a pimp known as Khalil White, also referred to as ‘Remy.’

Jessica Taylor would sometimes travel along the East Coast and had expressed her desire to leave the lifestyle she was involved in. While on a trip to Washington DC, she made the decision to return home. On July 15, 2003, Jessica left and was reported missing by Khalil White later that same day.

During her journey, Jessica’s vehicle broke down, but she managed to hitchhike her way back to Brooklyn. It was reported that she was seen a few days later at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan. However, on July 26, 2003, only partial remains were discovered in Manorville, New York.

Her torso was discovered on a sheet of plastic at the end of an access road off Halsey Manor Road, located north of the Long Island Expressway. The medical examiner estimated that she had passed away approximately two or three days earlier, but her identity was not yet determined at that time.

A tattoo on her right hip depicted a red heart with an angel wing and the words ‘Remy’s angel.’ Unfortunately, the tattoo had been damaged. In an effort to identify her, the police released a photo of the tattoo. Seven months after her body was discovered, a detective from Washington DC recognized the tattoo, linking it to Jessica.

Suffolk County police collected DNA samples from Jessica’s family, resulting in a positive match. Following this confirmation, her family held a private memorial service in Poughkeepsie. However, on May 9, 2011, a skull, pair of hands, and a forearm discovered on March 29 at Gilgo Beach were determined to belong to Jessica through a matching process.

Valerie Mack, initially referred to as the Manorville Jane Doe or Jane Doe #6, had her real identity unknown at first. Her family last saw her in the Port Republic area of New Jersey during the spring or summer of 2000. She was never officially reported missing.

Valerie’s known residence was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she worked as a sex worker under the name ‘Melissa Taylor’. On November 19, 2000, hikers found a woman’s body in the Manorville area of the Long Island Pine Barrens.

The body of the ‘Manorville Jane Doe’ was discovered dismembered and placed in plastic bags. It was estimated that she had been deceased for a number of weeks before being found. Identified solely as a Caucasian woman, potentially in her thirties, with brown hair, she was named the ‘Manorville Jane Doe’.

A plastic bag containing a skull, hands, and right foot was discovered on April 4, 2011, near Gilgo Beach along Ocean Parkway. Initially known as ‘Jane Doe #6,’ these remains were later connected through DNA analysis to the previously unidentified Manorville Jane Doe. On May 22, 2020, the Long Island police announced that they had successfully identified the Manorville Jane Doe. A week later, she was officially identified as Valerie Mack.

In addition to the previously mentioned individuals, there are several other unidentified individuals connected to the case. On April 4, 2011, the remains of a young Asian person were found along Ocean Parkway. This individual was estimated to be between 17 and 23 years old, approximately 5’6″ in height, and was missing four teeth. Although biologically male, the victim was wearing women’s clothing at the time of their death, making it challenging to determine whether they identified as transgender or not.

The Asian Doe was believed to have had a musculoskeletal disorder that affected their walking pattern. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. Police estimated that the remains had been in that location for at least five years. Additionally, on the same day, the remains of an unidentified toddler, known as ‘Baby Doe,’ were discovered along Ocean Parkway.

The gender of the child found, believed to be female, remains undetermined. Police estimate her age to be around two years old. She was discovered wrapped in a blanket, showing no visible signs of trauma. Through DNA analysis, it was later determined that the mother of the baby was ‘Peaches,’ the victim whose torso was found in 1997. It is believed that both the mother and the child were killed simultaneously, and they were found wearing similar jewelry.