• Sandra Rajcoomar Costilla Born August 25, 1965 
• Birth Place: Sangre Grand, Trinidad and Tobago
• Sangre Grand, Trinidad and Tobago
• DEATH 20 NOVEMBER 1993 • North Sea, Suffolk County, NY

Two hunters discovered 28-year-old Costilla’s body in a wooded area in North Sea, Southampton, on Nov. 21, 1993.

She had been strangled to death and left partially clothed. Her remains were in the woods for several days prior to being discovered.

Authorities identified Costilla by using her fingerprints, which had been entered into the system after she was arrested for jumping over a subway turnstile in 1992.

DA says Heuermann was living with ex-wife in 1993 whose hair was found on Sandra Costilla right arm. Suspect’s DNA on striped shirt pulled over Costilla’s head. Costilla, 28, lived in Queens; born in Trinidadand Tobago

Costilla was from Trinidad and Tobago but had been living in New York prior to her disappearance, according to court records.

Police called Costilla a “drifter.” Her last known address was in Queens, but it is thought she wasn’t living there at the time of her death. Police never said if Costilla was a sex worker but called her lifestyle “substantially similar.”

Early Life in Trinidad

Sandra was born to Ramkissoon R. Rajcoomar, known as “Ramki,” a police officer and Milly Rattansingh. She spent her early years between Sangre Grande and Arima, growing up with her younger brother, Manny, who called her “Popo,” while friends knew her as “Sandy.”

Her mother, Milly Rattansingh, was known in the community as a skilled seamstress. According to local accounts, she was also known for providing abortion services, a detail frequently referenced in reporting about the family’s background.

Sandra’s father, Ramki, was described as a well-known police officer in the region during the 1960s and 1970s.

Family Tragedy

By 1972, official records indicate that both of Sandra’s parents were deceased. Separate reporting and later accounts from her brother describe a traumatic domestic incident during their childhood in which:

• Their father shot their mother
• Sandra attempted to intervene and was injured
• Their father then died by suicide

Following the loss of both parents, Sandra and her brother were left orphaned and continued to live in Arima before eventually leaving Trinidad.

Migration to the United States

Sandra relocated to the United States as a teenager.

1984:

• She married Benjamin Costilla, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Hawaii
• Her Social Security number was issued in Hawaii
• She began using the name Sandra Costilla

Later: New digital evidence revealed Heuermann had a “significant collection of violent, bondage, and torture pornography” dating back to 1994, according to court records obtained by Newsweek. The images include breast mutilation, vaginal torture, the sexualization of decapitated women and bondage. These “notably and largely coincide with how the remains” of Costilla and Taylor were discovered.

A hard drive recovered from Heuermann’s basement hosted a Microsoft Word document called “HK2002-04,” which seems to be Heuermann’s “planning document,” according to court documents. The document was separated into four sections: “problems,” “supplies,” “DS,” and “TRG.”

Sandra Costilla (Sandra Rajcoomar)

Early Life, Background, and Murder Timeline

August 25, 1965

• Sandra Rajcoomar was born in Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago
• Parents:
• Ramkissoon R. Rajcoomar, also known as “Ramki,” a police officer
• Milly Rattansingh

1960s–Early 1970s (Family Background)

• Milly Rattansingh:
• Worked as a seamstress
• Was known in the community for providing abortion services
• Family connections: Milly was previously married to a man identified as Mr. Timal
• Children from that relationship: Anthony Ruth
• Sandra’s father, Ramki:
• Served as a police officer
• Was known locally in the Arima and Sangre Grande areas

May 13, 1969

• During the Black Power Movement and national unrest in Trinidad:
• Police officers, including Ramki, were deployed to protect public officials during a transport strike

1972

• Both of Sandra’s parents died
• Sandra father returned home with a firearm
• Their mother was shot and killed
• Sandra attempted to intervene and was injured in the hand
• Their father died by suicide at the scene
• Result: Sandra and her brother relocated to Arima, Trinidad and Tobago

1982 

• Sandra, age 17, and her brother Manny, age 14, left Trinidad for the United States
• Their relocation was arranged by their half-brother, Anthony, who was serving in the U.S. Army and adopted them after their maternal grandmother became ill
• Travel sequence:
• They flew to New York, where they stayed briefly with their half-sister Ruth
• They then traveled to Hawaii, where Anthony was stationed
• In Hawaii: Sandra later married Benjamin Costilla
• Manny enrolled in Waipahu High School

1984

• Sandra Rajcoomar married Benjamin Costilla, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Hawaii
• She began using the name Sandra Costilla

1986

• Sandra returned to Trinidad for a period
• Maintained a relationship with a boyfriend from Arima

1992 (New York)

• Sandra was arrested for jumping over a subway turnstile
• Her fingerprints were entered into law enforcement databases

1993 (New York)

• Sandra was living in New York, with a last known address in Queens.
• Authorities later described her as: A “drifter” Living a lifestyle “substantially similar” to that of a sex worker

November 19–20, 1993

• Rex Heuermann met Sandra Costilla
• He strangled her, causing her death
• After her death: He transported and left her remains in a wooded area in North Sea, Southampton, Suffolk County, New York

November 21, 1993

• Two hunters discovered Sandra Costilla’s body in the wooded area
• She was 28 years old
• Cause of death: Strangulation
• Condition: Body was partially clothed
• Remains had been in the area for several days prior to discovery

Post-Discovery Identification

• Sandra Costilla was identified through:
• Fingerprint records from her 1992 arrest
• Authorities confirmed:
• She was originally from Trinidad and Tobago
• She had been living in New York prior to her death

April 8, 2026

• During a plea allocution, Rex Heuermann admitted under oath that:
• He caused the death of Sandra Costilla
• Method: Strangulation

Case Significance

• Sandra Costilla is one of the earliest known victims linked to the Gilgo Beach homicide investigation
• Her case establishes:
• Early use of strangulation as the consistent method of killing
• Early pattern of body disposal in remote Suffolk County locations
• A victim profile involving instability, migration, and vulnerability