Megan Amelia Waterman was born on January 18, 1988, in Portland, Maine. She was raised by her mother, Lorraine Ela, and her grandparents, Muriel Benner and Douglas Osgood.

When Megan entered eighth grade at Scarborough Middle School, the gap between her family’s modest means and the affluence of her peers became glaringly apparent. While other students carried cell phones and wore designer clothing, Megan’s family was struggling financially. She faced academic challenges and, in an attempt to fit in, began shoplifting from Walmart. Her encounters with the Scarborough Police became frequent, ultimately leading to her placement at the Maine Youth Center in South Portland.

In the fall of 2005, at just 17, Megan became pregnant. The father was in his early 30s, and the two had met at a Portland nightclub.

In the summer of 2006, Megan gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Liliana. Motherhood marked a turning point—her priorities shifted, and those around her noticed a change in her demeanor and focus.

To support her daughter, Megan received $400 per month in government assistance. She also worked two minimum-wage jobs at local sandwich shops in Scarborough, doing her best to provide for Liliana while navigating the pressures of young motherhood.

By 2009, however, Megan had begun using alcohol and drugs again. One night at a nightclub in Maine, she met brothers Blake and Akeem Cruz from Brooklyn. She began dating Akeem, who soon convinced her that she could make fast money working as an escort.

On August 14, 2009, Megan, then 21, was arrested for theft by Officer Frank Gorham of the Scarborough Police Department.

Two months later, in October 2009, she was arrested again—this time for soliciting an undercover officer she had contacted through Craigslist/Backpage. The meeting took place at an Extended Stay America in Bethpage, Long Island. Megan soon returned home to Maine but made her way back to Long Island eight months later.

On June 1, 2010, Megan and Akeem traveled by bus from Portland to New York City. Megan checked into the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, Long Island, while Akeem stayed with his family nearby. From her hotel room, Megan posted online ads and engaged in sex work to support herself and her daughter.

Timeline

January 18, 1988

• Megan Waterman is born in Portland, Maine.

1990s – Early 2000s

• Megan is raised by her mother Lorraine Ela and grandparents Muriel Benner and Douglas Osgood in Scarborough, Maine.

2002 – 2003 (Approx.)

• Megan begins 8th grade at Scarborough Middle School.
• She struggles academically and socially, noticing the wealth disparity between her and classmates.
• Begins shoplifting from Walmart; becomes known to local police.

Early 2000s

• Megan is sent to the Maine Youth Center in South Portland due to repeated shoplifting and involvement with police.

Fall 2005 (Age 17)

• Megan becomes pregnant. The father is in his early 30s; they met at a nightclub in Portland.

Summer 2006 (Age 18)

• Megan gives birth to her daughter, Liliana.
• She begins receiving a $400 monthly government subsidy and starts working two minimum-wage jobs at local sandwich shops in Scarborough.

2007 – 2008

• Megan continues to support Liliana while working and living in Scarborough.

By 2009 (Age 21)

• Megan falls back into substance use (alcohol and drugs).
• She meets Blake and Akeem Cruz, brothers from Brooklyn, at a nightclub in Maine.
• Megan begins dating Akeem Cruz.
• Akeem convinces her to start working as an escort to earn more money.

August 14, 2009

• Megan is arrested by Officer Frank Gorham in Scarborough, Maine, on a theft charge.

October 2009

• Megan is arrested in Bethpage, Long Island, New York.
• She had arranged a meeting with an undercover officer via Craigslist/Backpage at the Extended Stay America hotel.
• Charged with prostitution-related offenses.
• Returns to Maine after her release.

June 1, 2010

• Megan and Akeem Cruz take a bus from Portland, Maine, to New York City.
• Megan checks into the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, Long Island.
• Akeem stays with his family nearby.
• Megan works from her hotel room, engaging in sex work arranged through online ads.

Timeline – Megan Waterman’s Trip to Long Island (June 2010)

June 1, 2010 (Tuesday)

• Megan Waterman, 22, travels from Portland, Maine, to Long Island, New York, with her boyfriend, Akeem Cruz (21).
• She checks into the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, Long Island.
• Megan begins working as an escort, placing ads on Craigslist to arrange out-calls.

June 5, 2010 (Saturday)

• Megan speaks with her mother, Lorraine Ela, by phone.
• 8:00 PM: Hotel surveillance captures Megan and Akeem leaving the Holiday Inn Express together.
• By 8:30 PM: Megan returns to the hotel alone.
• 9:50 PM: Megan calls her grandmother, Muriel Benner, and speaks briefly with her young daughter, Liliana.

June 6, 2010 (Sunday)

• 1:15 AM: Phone records show Akeem calls Megan.
• 1:30 AM: Megan tells Akeem she is stepping out for a while and will call him later.
• Megan leaves the Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge in the early morning hours to meet a client for an out-call.
• This is the last known time Megan Waterman is seen or heard from.
• 11:00 AM: Akeem Cruz contacts Megan’s family in Maine.

He asks: “Have you heard from Megan? Do you know where she is?”
Muriel responds: “She was supposed to be with you?”
Akeem says Megan is missing, but that they must wait 48 hours before police will act.

June 8, 2010 (Tuesday)

• Megan Waterman is officially reported missing to local authorities.
• Police search the hotel room and find Megan’s makeup, clothes, cell phone, and other personal belongings—indicating she had not intended to leave for long.

July 14, 2023

Gilgo Beach task force had arrested 59-year-old Rex Heuermann from Massapequa Park in connection with the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello.

Waterman was found wrapped in duck-blind camouflage burlap and bound with duct tape. Two foreign female hairs were discovered near her head, and a strand of male hair was found at the bottom of the burlap.

After identifying Rex Heuermann as a suspect, police surveillance followed him until he discarded a pizza box in a Midtown Manhattan trash can. Forensic analysis revealed that the DNA from the pizza crust matched the male hair found on the burlap, a match that excluded 99.96% of the North American population.

The female hair found on Waterman’s body matched mitochondrial DNA from Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup. This suggests that Ellerup’s hair was transferred to Waterman’s body from either Heuermann’s home or vehicle, as she had been in Maryland during the time of the murder.

Additionally, a comparison of Heuermann’s personal cellphone records with those of a burner phone used to contact Waterman showed that both phones were in the same general areas at the same times. Google searches on one of Heuermann’s recent burner phones revealed inquiries about the victims and the Gilgo Beach investigation.

The Disappearance and Murder of Megan Waterman Megan Waterman was last seen alive at the Holiday Inn in Hauppauge, New York, on June 6, 2010, at approximately 1:30 a.m. At that time, she was believed to be working as a sex worker.

On June 5, 2010, Ms. Waterman’s cellphone was contacted by another burner cellphone, which had just been activated that day. Thereafter, the Waterman Phone communicated with this burner cellphone on June 6, 2010, at approximately 1:31 a.m. which is around the time Megan Waterman was captured on video surveillance exiting the Holiday Inn in Hauppauge for the last time.

Following that communication, the burner cellphone had no further phone activity. However, cell site records show that the Waterman Phone traveled to Massapequa Park with the last cell site location being in Massapequa Park at approximately 3:11 a.m. in the vicinity of the residence of Defendant Heuermann.