Officials in New York’s Long Island on Friday arrested a suspect in connection with the Gilgo Beach serial killer case, authorities confirmed, as police sources have revealed the name of the alleged killer.
“I’ve lived with the Gilgo Beach investigation for my entire tenure as county executive, and I can tell you that during that time, the focus for me, members of our team, have been on bringing justice for these victims and closure to these families who have suffered,” Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone told reporters Friday in a Massapequa Park news conference, according to a live stream.
The top county official said that the arrest is a “major step forward in doing exactly that,” adding that he wants “the public to know the message to the public is that we have never stopped working on this case.”
In 2010 and 2011, officials found 11 sets of human remains along a beach highway in what was believed to be the work of a serial killer, sending shockwaves throughout Long Island. Previously, police said that some of the slain victims who were identified were possibly working as prostitutes or escorts via Craigslist.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office on Friday released charging documents on Friday confirming that Manhattan architect Rex Heuerman was the suspected serial killer. Mr. Heuermann was taken into custody in connection to at least some of the Gilgo Beach killings, the documents said.
According to charging documents, travel records suggest that on July 8, 2009, Mr. Heuermann’s wife departed the United States for Iceland before she returned to the U.S. on Aug. 18 of that same year. Meanwhile, his wife was out of the country during the time of victim Melissa Barthelemy’s disappearance, it added.
“Based upon cellular telephone billing records, on June 4, 2010, the cellular telephone subscribed to by Defendant Heuermann’s wife traveled from New York to Maryland. On June 8, 2010, the cellular telephone subscribed to by Defendant Heuermann’s wife returned to New York from Maryland. Consequently, based upon cellular telephone records, the cellular telephone subscribed to by Defendant Heuermann’s wife was out of New York State during the time of Megan Waterman’s disappearance,” according to the court papers.
The papers further added, “On September 5, 2010, the cellular telephone subscribed to by his wife returned to New York from New Jersey. Consequently, the cellular telephone subscribed to by Defendant Heuermann’s wife was out of New York State during the time of Amber Costello’s disappearance.”
Neither a lawyer nor his company have publicly responded to the claims as of Friday morning. It’s not clear if Mr. Heuermann has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf amid the intense media scrutiny.
Mr. Heuermann is a registered architect who has owned architecture and consulting firm RH Consultants & Associates since around 1994, according to his website. “Throughout the years, Rex Heuermann has provided services to other city agencies, not for profit agencies, builders, developers and individual owners of buildings,” it said.
“We’re happy to see that they’re finally active, the police, in accomplishing something. Let’s wait and see what it all leads to,” John Ray, the attorney for the families of two victims, Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor, told The Associated Press.
“He seemed like a regular neighbor,” said Barry Auslander, 72, who lives near Mr. Heuermann, according to the New York Post. “I never thought he was anything but a businessman, average guy who had a family and went to work.”
Another neighbor, Cheryl Lombardi, told The New York Times that “after hearing about this case for so many years, it’s a shock to find out that your neighbor is a serial killer and you never knew it.”
The case has drawn immense public attention. The mystery attracted national headlines for many years, with the unsolved killings were the subject of the 2020 Netflix film “Lost Girls.”
Determining who killed them, and why, has vexed a slew of seasoned homicide detectives through several changes in police leadership. Last year, an interagency task force was formed with investigators from the FBI, as well as state and local police departments, aimed at solving the case.
Law enforcement personnel converged on a small red house that had been raided early Friday in the suburb about 40 miles east of midtown Manhattan. Dozens of residents mingled alongside police and media, watching as a half-dozen investigators in protective suits conferred outside the front porch, which was in disrepair, its roof propped up by 2-by-4s.
The home belonged to a family that had long kept to themselves, neighbors said, noting that the dilapidated property seemed out of place among rows of single family homes and well kept lawns in the small community.
“This house sticks out like a sore thumb. There were overgrown shrubs, there was always wood in front of the house,” said Gabriella Libardi, a 24-year-old teacher. “It was very creepy. I wouldn’t send my child there.”
The arrest came after a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office revealed on Friday that there was a “significant development in the case.” No other details were provided.
The Epoch Times has contacted RH Consultants & Associates for comment on Friday.
