July 14, 2023 - New York architect arrested in Long Island serial killings

The Suffolk County district attorney declined to comment on potential connections between the "Gilgo Four" murder victims at the center of this week's arrest and any of the other human remains found in the same area of Long Island in 2010.

District Attorney Ray Tierney said the portion of the investigation being made public Friday "had to do with the deaths of these four young women," referring to three victims that suspect Rex Heuermann has been charged with killing, and a fourth murder for which he is considered the "prime suspect."

In a news conference following Heuermann's first court appearance, Tierney emphasized the similarities between the "Gilgo Four." They include the fact that they were all sex workers, had been linked to some form of contact with Heuermann and had been bound in similar ways.

What are the other cases? Authorities first found human remains related to the Gilgo Beach case while searching a remote stretch of Long Island for a different woman, Shannan Gilbert, in 2010.

Gilbert's remains were ultimately found in 2011. While authorities said her death appeared to be more consistent with "an unfortunate accident" rather than an act of violence, they had also turned up 10 other sets of human remains across two Long Island counties by the time the search concluded. That left investigators to determine which (if any) of the cases were connected to a potential serial killer.

Tierney, the district attorney, said a task force will continue to investigate the remains' discovery and "try to get a small measure of closure for all the victims' families."

But for now, Tierney said all he could share was that the defendant in custody is tied to the four women named in connection with his arrest.

Pressed further by reporters, the district attorney said he needs to "maintain investigative secrecy."

"I'm here to talk about what we did with regard to these four victims," he repeated.

The arrest of a suspect in some of the Gilgo Beach murders was a “long time coming,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday.

People in the community should be able to sleep easier tonight, the governor said, after a New York architect was arrested in connection with three murders on Long Island.  

Authorities were able to obtain a search warrant for Long Island serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann's Google results and watch as he tried to keep up with the investigation, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

"In a 14-month period, he had over 200 searches pertaining to the Gilgo (Beach serial killings) investigation," Tierney said.

"He was looking at investigative insight. He was looking, trying to figure out, 'How is the task force using cell phones to try to figure out what is happening? What are the developments with regard to the task force?''" he continued.

Tierney said that emphasized the importance of keeping the investigation and grand jury proceedings secret, "because we knew that this one person would be watching, and we didn't want to give him any insight."

The warrant also revealed Heuermann was "compulsively" searching for images of the victims and their families, "and he was trying to locate those individuals."

Tierney said investigators found other disturbing content in Heuermann's browsing history, as well.

“There was a lot of torture porn and what you would consider depictions of women being abused, being raped and being killed,” Tierney said.

In their bail application, prosecutors also said Heuermann had searched for child pornography.

Authorities decided to charge the man accused of murdering at least three of the four "Gilgo Four" when the need to keep the public safe outweighed the need for investigators to collect evidence, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

There was a "good tension" among the task force formed to investigate the long unsolved Gilgo Beach murders since its formation in 2022, Tierney said. On one hand, authorities wanted to build the strongest case they could against suspect Rex Heuermann. On the other, they also needed to keep the public safe, he said.

Heuermann, who authorities were closely monitoring as they were investigating him, was continuing to patronize sex workers and also using fake IDs and burner phones, Tierney said. Those factors led authorities to decide to arrest him Thursday.

"As we work through the case ... suddenly the balance tips in factor of public safety," he said.

Heuermann has been charged with six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of the four women known as the “Gilgo Four.”

Hair believed to be from Rex Heuermann’s wife was found on or near three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims, prosecutors alleged, citing DNA testing.

Forensic labs were able to match with near 100% certainty the hairs in July, prosecutors say, after investigators recovered 11 bottles from a garbage can outside Heuermann’s house. They took swabs of the bottles and subsequently matched with close to 100% certainty that DNA to the four female human hairs, according to the bail application.

One female human hair was found on one of the buckles of the three belts used to tie Maureen Brainard-Barnes’ feet, ankle and legs together, prosecutors say.

Heuermann is the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney said in its bail application Friday. However, he has not yet been charged in connection with her murder.

Heuermann was charged in connection with the murder of the other three women, known together with Brainard-Barnes as the "Gilgo Four."

Two female hairs were found on a piece of tape and “outside the head area” of Megan Waterman’s body, prosecutors say. 

Another female hair was also found on a piece of tape that bound Amber Costello’s body, prosecutors say.

A task force to investigate the Gilgo Beach killings was formed in February 2022, shortly after Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney took office in January, 2022, he said at a news conference Friday.

Tierney said he made the Gilgo Beach murders — an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island — a priority “before he took office”.

“I met with the victims’ families, some of whom I’m proud to have standing with us today, and I told them that we were gonna handle this case differently,” Tierney said.

The task force consisted of the Suffolk County Police Department, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police and the FBI, Tierney said. 

The work of the task force led to the arrest of Rex Heuermann on Thursday. He has pleaded not guilty in connection with the murders of three women, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Megan Waterman.

He is the “prime suspect” in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, officials said, but he is yet to be charged in that case.

Long Island serial killings suspect Rex Heuermann's wife and children were not in New York state at the time that three of the "Gilgo Four" murder victims died, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Friday.

Tierney said investigators had looked at the Heuermann family travel records and determined that during the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello, "the defendant's wife and children were out of New York state and he was alone in the tri-state area," Tierney said.

Heuermann is a married father of two, a source familiar with the case told CNN. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The suspect in the Gilgo Beach killings was in tears, telling his attorney he did not commit the murders he is accused of, his court-appointed attorney, Michael Brown said at a news conference Friday.

“Anybody who’s arrested and charged with three murders. Well, I should say obviously – well he’s destroyed. He’s clearly destroyed about the charges here,” Brown said.  

Brown said that he has not reviewed any evidence in the case but said that he believes the case is, “extremely circumstantial in nature.” 

It is not clear if Heuermann intends to hire outside counsel, according to Brown.

Authorities issued more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants in their long investigation into the suspect charged in three long-unsolved Long Island murders, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Officials first identified suspect Rex Heuermann, an architect who lives on Long Island with an office in New York City, in a database more than a year ago, Tierney said. Heuermann faces six counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims.

Tierney said a task force looking into the Gilgo Beach murders — an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island — held its first meeting in February 2022.

From there, officials used "the power of the grand jury" in the form of more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants used to look into Heuermann's background, Tierney said.