The architect Rex Heuermann, who is blamed for the Gilgo Beach serial killings, has now been accused of murdering two more women. This makes the total number of possible victims six. They announced these new charges on Thursday while sharing a “planning document” connected to his criminal actions.
Heuermann, whose age is 60, was arrested in July 2023. He is now accused of killing four women, which are known as the “Gilgo Four.” These four women found along Long Island’s Gilgo Beach in the year 2010 were Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Authorities think that there are at least 11 groups of dead bodies found near the seafront in Suffolk County since the year 2010.
The new charges are about the deaths of Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old escort worker who disappeared in July 2003, and Sandra Costilla, a 28-year-old woman whose body was found in 1993. Initially, the parts of Taylor’s body were found in 2003 but another part was discovered in 2011. It was located less than a mile away from where the “Gilgo Four” bodies were found.
Image Credit: Suffolk County Police DepartmentThe planning paper, which people think Rex Heuermann used to plan and carry out his crimes, was taken from his house during a recent search. This paper details the steps that Heuermann followed to choose, kill, and get rid of his victims. It includes how he used belts and tape to tie up their bodies and put their remains in burlap.
Rex Heuermann, who is accused of these crimes, has pleaded not guilty to all of them. He remains in custody with no option for release on bail. The next time he will appear in court has been set for the 30th of July.
The look into Rex Heuermann’s crime has been lasting more than ten years, with police first concentrating on the case of Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old escort who disappeared in 2010. The body of Gilbert was eventually discovered in a marsh and it was agreed that her death happened by accidental drowning.
Image Credit: Suffolk County Police DepartmentHer family has said that the autopsy did not find a clear answer, and some people think her death might be connected to Heuermann’s other victims
The finding of more remains in the spot has caused the people looking into it to think that Heuermann might have done more murders than what was first guessed. The search has also found proof of a “personality trait” in killers who do this job many times, which hints that Heuermann might have picked women who were working as escorts or doing work in sex trade.
The investigators may have become more suspicious of Heuermann due to his past as an architect and the fact that he knows about gun safety and marksmanship. It is said that no one in his family knew about these supposed crimes, and his wife started divorce proceedings just six days after he got arrested.
The court case for Rex Heuermann keeps going, as those who accuse him are still putting together evidence to show his guilt. The fresh accusations make the count of claimed victims six in total. Investigators are striving to find out if there are any more victims that were possibly killed by Heuermann.
The process of finding out Rex Heuermann’s criminal activities has been very complicated and not easy. The authorities needed to study lots of proof, talk with many people as witnesses or suspects, and compare different information to make progress in this case. This situation also makes us wonder about the efficiency of law enforcement when they first looked into Heuermann’s actions, as well as whether he could have possibly done more murders than we know about now.
In the story about Rex Heuermann’s situation, the families of those he is said to have harmed are dealing with their own pain and stress from his actions. This case reminds us how crucial it is to be alert, showing that police need to keep watchful in bringing justice no matter what difficulties they face.