The Gilgo Beach serial killings case has taken a new turn as Rex Heuermann, the suspect charged with the murders of three sex workers, is now facing charges for a fourth murder. Court documents reveal that Heuermann has been linked to the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach.
Heuermann, already considered a prime suspect in the other three murders, namely Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello, has been connected to these crimes through cellphone data and DNA evidence obtained from a discarded slice of pizza. Authorities also discovered his wife’s hair at the crime scenes, leading them to believe that the items used in the killings came from their home.
In December 2010, the remains of the four women, collectively known as the “Gilgo Four,” were found during the search for Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker who went missing in May 2010. Gilbert’s remains were discovered a year later, in December 2011.
Heuermann’s arrest took place in July, as detectives apprehended him outside his Manhattan architecture office. He pleaded not guilty to three charges of first-degree murder and three charges of second-degree murder related to the deaths of Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello. He is currently being held without bail.
It is worth mentioning that Heuermann is not suspected in all the deaths associated with the Gilgo Beach case, and he has not been charged in the deaths of Gilbert, Jessica Taylor, or Valerie Mack.
Rex A. Heuermann in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., on Aug. 1. (James Carbone / Pool / Newsday via AP file)
The search for Gilbert led to the discovery of other sets of human remains, including partial remains belonging to Jessica Taylor, the remains of Valerie Mack, a female toddler, a man, the toddler’s mother, and an unidentified person. However, it is important to note that Heuermann has not been implicated in these additional cases.
For more information, please visit F5mag.com.