Gilgo Beach Investigation

Rex A Heuermann

Melissa Barthelemy

• Discovery Location and Date: Found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach, December 11 or 12, 2010 with three other victims.
• Forensic Findings: Remains were wrapped in burlap and located with other victims in dense brush alongside the Parkway.
• Hairs and other trace materials later yielded DNA evidence used in court and linked to the suspect.
• Investigation Contribution: Part of the group called the “Gilgo Four,” which first made authorities suspect a serial killer near Gilgo Beach.

Megan Waterman

• Discovery Location and Date: Also found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in the December 2010 cluster.
• Forensic Findings: Remains were discovered in conditions similar to Barthelemy’s, including wrapping and concealment.
• DNA analysis later helped connect components of the scene to the suspect.
• Investigation Contribution: Her discovery, alongside the others, underscored the pattern of multiple bodies dumped in the same remote area.

Amber Lynn Costello

• Discovery Location and Date: Found in the December 2010 Gilgo Beach grouping.
• Forensic Findings: Like the other Gilgo Four, the remains were in burlap and brush near the roadside.
• Investigation Contribution: Her remains further confirmed that several bodies were placed in proximity, strengthening suspicion of one killer or related events.

Maureen Brainard-Barnes

• Discovery Location and Date: Found in December 2010 near the other three at Gilgo Beach.
• Forensic Findings: Found in a similar pattern, with wrapping and concealment in brush.
• Advanced DNA analysis later linked suspect Rex Heuermann to this killing.
• Investigation Contribution: Considered part of the original cluster; her case was later used as part of consolidated charges.

Jessica Taylor

• Discovery Location and Date: Partial remains (torso) were found in Manorville, NY, in July 2003. Additional remains were found along Ocean Parkway on March 29, 2011.
• Forensic Findings: The torso had plastic sheeting underneath, and some parts were mutilated before disposal.
• Subsequent remains recovered in 2011 were identified through DNA matching to the torso.
• Investigation Contribution: Taylor’s dismemberment and displaced remains linked separate scenes and suggested a broader disposal pattern extending beyond Gilgo Beach.

Valerie Mack

• Discovery Location and Date: Remains initially found around 2000 near Manorville and later uncovered in searches tied to the Gilgo investigation.
• Forensic Findings: Partial remains were found bound with a rope inside a bag wrapped in duct tape.
• Hair from the bag and remains provided forensic links to the suspect later in the investigation.
• Investigation Contribution: Though older, the case was grouped with others after DNA and forensic analysis linked the circumstances to the Gilgo investigation.

Sandra Costilla

• Discovery Location and Date: Found in 1993 in a wooded area in North Sea, Long Island, long before Gilgo Beach victims.
• Forensic Findings: Hair found on her remains later matched the suspect through advanced DNA techniques.
• Investigation Contribution: Costilla’s case extended the timeline of the suspected killer back over a decade, suggesting a longer span of killings.

Other Remains Found Near Gilgo Beach

• Discovery Location and Date:Police found additional remains on March 29 and April 4, 2011, within a couple of miles of the 2010 cluster and along expanded search areas.
• Identified Cases and Forensics: One identified as Karen Vergata, first partially found on Fire Island and later near Tobay Beach, confirmed by genetic genealogy.
• An Asian male wearing women’s clothing, a female African American victim, and a toddler were among the others.
• Investigation Contribution: These remains showed variation in victim profiles and disposal patterns, raising questions about whether all victims were linked to one killer

Case Records

The Gilgo Beach murder investigation began on December 11, 2010, when Suffolk County Police were searching for missing Shannan Gilbert near Ocean Parkway on Long Island. While using a cadaver dog, officers instead discovered the remains of another woman wrapped in burlap, later identified as Melissa Barthelemy. Over the next few days, police uncovered three more sets of remains: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello in close proximity. This shocking discovery launched a major investigation into what authorities soon believed was the work of a serial killer. The case expanded over the years as more remains were found in the area, sparking national attention and a decade-long hunt for the perpetrator

Gilgo Beach Investigation

Rex A Heuermann

Rex A Heuermann About Rex A Heuermann AKA: Rex A Heurmann, Rex Hevermann, Rex G Heuermann https://www.facebook.com/rex.heuermann/

• Age 59 Birthdate Sep 1, 1963
• Current Address 105 1st Ave, Massapequa Park, NY, 11762
• Heuermann is married, with two children.
• Previous Marriage – 1990 Heuermann was just 26 when he first married in New Brunswick, New Jersey
• 2022: interview with Bonjour Realty that was posted to YouTube, Heuermann says he was “born and raised on Long Island” Heuermann told Bonjour Realty last year that has worked in Manhattan since 1987.

Childhood The struggle started early. Mr. Heuermann grew up with an older sister and a younger brother. His father, was an aerospace engineer who enjoyed specialty woodworking, as a hobby the T. Heuermann was making furniture in his garage. (see interview) Dan Musto, who new Rex growing up said Rex Heuermann clashed with his father, who was tough on the Rex for not being a go getter. In response, Rex acted out. He got caught after engaging in a shoplifting spree.. Mr. Musto said “Why is he getting in trouble? He’s fighting with his dad,” “It was common knowledge.” In 1975 His father died when Rex Heuermann was 12. After that, the children were raised by their mother, who is now 93 and living in Virginia. According to a neighbor, Mr. de Villiers, Rex Heuermann seemed to be raising his children to be as isolated as he had been, in the same rundown off-limits house. He said that when Mr. Heuermann’s daughter Victoria, now 26, got her license, “I wanted to tell her, ‘Just get in your car and drive and never come back.’” Reference Rex Heuermann, lived in the same house he was raised in – a few miles across the bay from the beach where bodies were found. He purchase his childhood home from his mother Dolores for $170,000 in 1994, according to property records. Early Life

• 1963 – Born to Theodore and Dolores Heuermann.
• 1977 – Enters Berner High School in Massapequa as a freshman.
• 1977-1981 – Works at Tobay Beach during summers. Lifeguards and staff reported he was frequently present.
• 1981 – Graduates from Berner High School, Class of 1981.
• 1981-1982 – Seasonal employee at Jones Beach State Park (May-October).
• 1984 – Again works as a seasonal employee at Jones Beach State Park (summer through October 24).

Education & Early Career

• 1986 – Graduated from New York Institute of Technology, Westbury, NY, with a degree in Architectural Technology.
• 1987 – Works for Harvey Rothenberg Architect in Brooklyn. Rothenberg’s office was located on Carroll Street, near Carroll Gardens.
• 1990 – Works for Greer Construction Corp. in Freeport, NY.

Personal Life & Business

• 1990 – Marries his first wife
• 1994 – Divorces his first wife (no children).
• 1994 – Meets Ása Guðbjörg Ellerup, an Icelandic immigrant.
• 1994 – Buys his family home in Massapequa Park from his mother, Dolores, for $170,000.
• 1994 – Incorporates RH Consultants & Associates, his architectural firm.
• 1996 (April 13) – Marries Ása Ellerup. Daughter Victoria is born the same year.

Financial & Property Activity

• 2005 (April 23) – Purchases Club du Soleil condominium in Las Vegas for $16,995.
• 2007 (September) – Falsely identifies a Las Vegas apartment complex as vacant in documentation.
• 2009 (August 10-18) – Travels to Iceland with Ása and family; returns on August 18.

Later Career & Travel

• 2017 – Oversees renovation project in the Bronx.
• 2017 (November) – Travels to Las Vegas for two days by plane.
• 2018 (January) – Vacation in Cocoa Beach, Florida, with wife Ása, daughter Victoria, and mother Dolores.
• 2018 (unspecified) – Trip to Virginia.
• 2018 – Again involved in false documentation about a vacant apartment complex.

Legal & Financial Issues

• 2018-2022 – Involved in personal injury lawsuits:
• Suit against Barbara O. (motor vehicle).
• Suit against Lindsay F. (motor vehicle, 2022).
• 2022 – Repays or is cleared of IRS debt of ~$215,078.

Interview “I’m an architect, I’m an architectural consultant, I’m a troubleshooter,” he says, adding that he’s adept at interpreting arcane building codes and handles lots of negotiations with the buildings department. “At home, I have an extensive library of obsolete books” about building codes from the past century, he said. Heuermann is an architect who founded the New York City firm RH Consultants and Associates in 1994, according to the company’s website. His clients included Target, Foot Locker, Catholic Charities, and American Airlines, the website says. In the 2022 interview with Bonjour Realty, Heuermann was asked hypothetically what tool he would be to help elevate his business. He replied that he would be a hammer. “I have one tool that’s pretty much used in almost every job. It’s actually a cabinet maker’s hammer,” he said. “It is persuasive enough when I need to persuade someone, and it always yields excellent results.” https://youtu.be/tbQOcEs3aZg Lawsuits Between 2014 and 2022, Heuermann filed four lawsuits in New York courts against drivers who he said had hit him with their cars, causing him “serious and permanent personal injuries,” court records show. Three of the cases were settled or discontinued, while The most recent one is ongoing. April 2018 deposition in one of the cases, Heuermann discussed his life and work, saying that he lived at his childhood home in the Long Island suburb of Massapequa Park with his wife of then 22 years, daughter and stepson. At one point in the deposition, when asked if he played sports, he said, “Really only thing I competed in was competition rifle.”

• 06/08/2022 REX HEUERMANN filed a Personal Injury – Motor Vehicle lawsuit against LINDSAY F. This case was filed in Kings County Courts, Kings County Supreme Court Civil Term located in Kings, New York. The case status is Pending – Other Pending.
• 01/09/2018 REX HEUERMANN filed a Personal Injury – Motor Vehicle lawsuit against Barbara O. This case was filed in Nassau County Courts, Kings County Supreme Court Civil Term located in Kings, New York. The case status is Disposed

Tax Problem Heuermann had issues paying his taxes going back more than a decade. Nassau County records show Heuermann was subject to six tax liens filed by the IRS in Nassau County between 2010 and 2021. According to the liens, Heuermann owed a total of more than $425,000 for taxes he had failed to pay going back to 2005. The IRS later filed tax lien releases showing that Heuermann repaid or no longer owed about $215,078 of that debt, with the most recent documents being filed in October 2022. According to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Heuermann and his wife also currently owe more than $81,500 in personal income tax to the state, with the tax bills accruing since November 2020. Other court records shed light on the technical and at times mundane work Heuermann has done as an architect. Heuermann examined water damage on a building in Manhattan last year and offered an analysis of proposed waterproofing, according to a letter he wrote to an attorney. Records filed in another case show emails he sent to coordinate a 2017 renovation project in the Bronx. In a civil court hearing in 2018, Heuermann described his work as “general architecture” and said he works for clients to resolve issues with the state Department of Buildings. An associate described the work as, “not a pleasant process. I don’t want to be Mr. Heuermann in that respect for a minute.” Cars:

• Authorities said that led them to take a closer look at a Chevrolet Avalanche registered to Heuermann at the time of the murders, similar to one reported seen by a witness. The investigation also turned up connections with burner cellphones and other phone data allegedly linked to the suspect.

Heuermann’s main house on Long Island

• He bought the house from his mom, Dolores, for $170,000 in 1994, according to property records.
• Heuermann purchased a seemingly run-down home at 105 First Ave. in Massapequa Park in 1994 , the same year he launched his architecture firm.
• He purchased the small six-room property for $170,000.
• The home occupies a modest 1,323 square feet.
• Built in 1956, the one-story residence has a full basement and one fireplace.

Permit Applicant2008 – 2023 Renovations

• in 2007 Heuermann had been hired to renovate was declared unsafe by fire officials, who ordered two dozen families to evacuate https://www.nydailynews.com/news/harlem-apartment-building-not-safe-week-article-1.247465

Portfolio Heuermann is associated with about 300 projects throughout New York City, across all boroughs. 1 Target , Soho Cast Iron District

• The latest Target flagship store in New York City is located in Manhattan’s historic Soho Cast Iron District.
• Heuermann’s firm collaborated with Target’s design team to integrate the store’s aesthetics into the upscale neighborhood.
• RH Architecture worked on the escalators and elevators in the existing landmark building built in 1884, re-structured multiple floors of the building and provided new ADA-compliant entrances for the new retail space.
• ADA is short for the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. It outlines the requirements for a building or facility to be physically accessible to people with disabilities.

60 Gramercy

• RH Architecture also provided architecture and interior design for the new location of a doctor’s office, whose specifics on the project website aren’t made fully clear.
• It’s located on the ground floor of a multi-family elevator building with views of Gramercy Park’s tree lined streets.
• The design consisted of a full renovation including raising the interior floor level throughout the space to make it level with the building corridor to meet ADA standards.
• Heuermann’s firm added new finishes, a custom reception desk and lighting design.

Central Park West

• RH Architecture worked closely with a city homeowner on a full gut renovation of a two-bedroom, two-bathroom Central Park West apartment. Its address isn’t made clear on the project’s page.
• The apartment was in original 1920s condition and was renovated with new wood flooring throughout, a new kitchen, all new cabinetry, fixtures and new doors, along with two new bathrooms including an ADA-compliant bathroom.
• A new dropped ceiling was added to conceal central air in the apartment, along with new recessed lighting throughout.

600 Broadway

• 600 Broadway is the address where the Soho Target is located, but Heuermann’s firm worked on more than just that space inside.
• A six-story, mixed-use project, the property occupies 31,800 square feet of retail space and 47,600 square feet of commercial offices.
• Heuermann’s firm worked on the architecture and interior design for the renovation of the building’s lobby that serves offices on the upper floors.
• Pegged as a new landmark, the approved ADA-compliant entrance for the retail space was designed to match the existing historic cast-iron features of the building.
• RH Architecture also redesigned the floor structure on the upper floors of the building, new tenant bathrooms, and obtained a Certificate of Occupancy for all floors in the building, including retail space at the first floor, and offices on the upper floors.
• A Certificate of Occupancy means having a legal use and/or type of permitted occupancy of a building.

Foot Locker

• RH Architecture was in charge of Foot Locker’s newest store location in The Bronx, near Yankee Stadium.
• Located at 30 E. 170th St., the building occupies 12,600 square feet of retail space, consisting of three floors.
• Heuermann’s firm worked with Foot Locker’s team and the building owner for the full build-out of the space implementing Foot Locker’s design within the building’s characteristics. RH also obtained the Certificate of Occupancy for the retail space.

Burlington Coat Factory

• RH Architecture collaborated with Burlington Coat Factory’s design team to execute their latest store.
• Located in Brooklyn, Burlington Coat factory is a 52,000-square-foot retail space.
• The firm worked with Burlington’s team for the full build-out of the space implementing the tenant’s design within the existing building, including retrofitting new escalators into the existing building structure.
• RH also obtained the Certificate of Occupancy for the retail space, and the eating and drinking establishment in the neighboring space.
• (An eating and drinking establishment is any commercial use within which food or beverages are offered for purchase.)

Savoir Beds

• RH Architecture provided architectural and design Services for the building owner of Savoir Beds, a very upscale bed brand.
• The company sells handcrafted luxury beds. The firm took on a full renovation within an existing Upper East Side building for the showroom, which made its city debut within the last 10 years.
• The build-out includes herringbone wood flooring throughout, recessed lighting details and built-in illuminated display niches to showcase the client’s pieces.
• The existing mezzanine above the first floor level was cut back to expand the ceiling at the entryway.

Bellami

• Located in the fashion-forward Meatpacking District at 410 W. 14th St., this business occupies 2,800 square feet of retail space.
• Bellami is known as a top-tier hair salon in New York City.
• RH worked with the building owner and Bellami for a full renovation incorporating their signature designs within the existing building.
• On the upper floors of the building, RH restructured the entire floor of a former office space and built out new tenant bathrooms.
• On the building exterior, RH redesigned the historical marquee.

New York City Office – 385 Fifth Ave. Suite 1100

• Situated on 36th Street and Fifth Avenue, the building that houses RH’s own offices was built in 1929.
• The office also shares space with The Vitamin Shoppe, a physical therapy office, WeWork co-working office space.
• Leasing runs upwards of $100,000 a year.
• According to the building’s owners, it has 16 floors and security guard services.

Possible Connections

Prosecutors revealed in June, 2024 that Heuermann allegedly used a planning document between 2000 and 2002, This document is considered crucial evidence in the ongoing investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders. DA Tierney announced the significance of two phone numbers linked to the case. Tierney confirmed that one of the number 917-294-4402 is linked to a Danielle Faith Goodling in Queens. Red MoreFebruary 1st, around 3:00 am she had left Hammerheads nightclub, which was located in a converted supermarket at 135 Sunrise Highway in West Islip and may have attempted to hitchhike back to her house in Brentwood.The last verified sighting of her was near the exit of the nightclub Learn More about Tina On September 11, 1989, a body was discovered along the right shoulder of Meadowbrook State Parkway in Freeport, NY by a passerby. The body was later identified as Carmen Vargas. Carmen was found with a towel over her face, a rope around her neck, and her ankles bound with a cord. Her body was located approximately a half mile south of Merrick Road in Long Island, New York. October 10, 1991 Tiffany Dixon, of Hart St., Bushwick, was last seen dropping her brother, Israel Morales, 8, at the corner of Smith St. and First Place in the Carroll Gardens section, where he is a third-grader at Public School 58. Norma Delgado, 28, the girl’s mother, said Tiffany then usually walked about four blocks to JHS 142, where she is a seventh-grader. But On Thursday the girl didnt arrive at school. March 3, 1993 Judith Ramona Veloz. aka “Aries Jones” was last seen in the vicinity of 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue in Manhattan, NY Judith left her childhood home at 16, pregnant at 17 and gave birth to a daughter in Spring 1992. Judith boyfriend and her daughters father was an older man, with a violent past, been grooming her and forcing Judith to work the streets and acted as her pimp. AJ passed away in 2005. Alicia Adams, a 22, was discovered naked and mummified in the brush about 2 months after she was last seen in April 2013 near the Imperial Hotel in East New York, Brooklyn. Alicia Adams, a 22, was discovered naked and mummified in the brush about 2 months after she was last seen in April 2013 near the Imperial Hotel in East New York, Brooklyn.She had a green dragon tattoo on her upper left chest and another tattoo on her right thigh with the words “Daddy Rock.” Her body was found near South Conduit Avenue, close to the woods that lead to Long Island, into Nassau County. Her father last heard from her on his birthday on Valentine’s Day 1996 when she was living on West 45th Street in NYC. July 2017, her father Dominic N. Vergata had her officially declared deceased. In that legal filing, the father states that he spoke to multiple law enforcement agencies to try to report her missing, hired a private Investigator to determine her whereabouts, and spoke to several acquaintances of hers. Andre Isaac, also known as “Sugar Bear,” was a professional drag queen who disappeared from East New York in 2002. According to a friend, Isaac was last seen shortly before Thanksgiving, getting into a car with a “secret friend.” The vehicle was described as a red BMW-type coupe driven by a Hispanic man. On December 17, 2002, a plastic bag containing a partial human torso was found in Arverne, Queens, NY. The bag contained a skirt, a black bodysuit, and a tank top. The bag was found on Beach 63 Street between Larkin Street and the boardwalk; however, this location may be slightly inaccurate, as Beach 63 does not connect with Larkin or the boardwalk. The skeletal remains of a yet-to-be-identified Asian man were found along Ocean Parkway on April 4, 2011. It is estimated that the man was between 17 and 23 years old at the time of his death. He was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall with bad teeth. Asian Male died between 2001 and 2006 – discovered 750 yards east of the Gilgo Four. June 28, 1997, a dismembered body was discovered in a wooded area of Hempstead Lake State Park, Lakeview, New York. The torso was found on the west side of Lake Drive, about 200 yards north of Peninsula Boulevard. Both arms, head, and legs below the knee were severed, she had become known as “Peaches” because of a bitten tattoo of a peach on her left breast. “Peaches” was the nickname given to a black or biracial female whose torso was discovered in Hempstead Lake State Park in 1997. Her nickname originates from a distinctive tattoo she had. She was inside a plastic Rubbermaid container along with a red towel and a floral pillowcase, covered by plastic garbage bags The last verified sighting of her was near the exit of the nightclub Learn More about Tina Lindsay Marie Harris (September 3, 1983 – May 2005) was a young woman whose dismembered legs were found in a wooded area near Interstate 55 in 2005. She was identified 3 years later. On May 4, 2005, Harris disappeared from her home in Henderson, Nevada. She was last seen making a bank deposit at the bank near her home. Her rental car was found abandoned in the desert at the southern end of the valley and her credit cards had not been used. Later that November, America’s Most Wanted aired a segment on Harris’ disappearance. On March 3, 2007, a woman’s torso, stabbed and stuffed inside a suitcase, washed ashore in Mamaroneck. One of her leg bones and her right foot with her toenails half-polished washed up from the Long Island Sound later on March 27, among the rocks in Cold Spring Harbor. On March 28, her severed leg bone washed up in a plastic bag a short distance away at the estate of Cablevision billionaire James Dolan. The rest of her has never been found. August 11, 2003 at 7:18 a truck driver discovered the body of a Hispanic female in the desert area just south of the haul road located approximately 1200 feet west of US 95, mile marker 52. August 11, 2003 LVMPD Detectives identified the body of the Hispanic female as Victoria Camara. More Jamie Diane Seymour was 21 years old when she was last seen in Brick Township, NJ on July 22, 2005. She had moved out of her Jackson Township residence and was drifting from place to place. On July 22, she called her father and said she was heading to the Port Authority in the New York area.