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

The suspect in some of the Gilgo Beach serial killings, Rex Heuermann, has been charged by a grand jury with six counts of murder, according to the bail application the Suffolk County District Attorney plans on submitting.

Heuermann's charges stem from the deaths of three of the four members of the “Gilgo Four," women whose bodies were discovered along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Long Island in 2010.

Heuermann faces first and second-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Costello, according to the bail application provided by the district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors say they are asking for remand without bail based in part on the "heinous nature of these serial murders" and the "planning and forethought" that went into the crimes.

They also accused Heuermann of recently searching online for "sadistic materials, child pornography, images of the victims and their relatives," as well as conducting "counter-surveillance" related to the criminal investigation.

Prosecutors also note his alleged “use of fictitious names, burner email and cellphone accounts, and his access to and history of possessing firearms,” as part of their request for remand.

New York officials held an impromptu press conference on the Gilgo Beach murder investigation where they announced a person was in custody and that an indictment will be made available Friday.

Suffolk County Police Chief Rodney Harrison thanked law enforcement and the task force for their collaborative effort that “allowed us to place somebody into custody.”

County Executive Steve Bellone said he's lived with the Gilgo Beach murders — an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of human remains discovered since 2010 in suburban Long Island — for his entire tenure.

Bellone praised the dedication of Suffolk County Police officers, some of whom have retired. 

“Nonstop dogged determination of the men and women of the Suffolk County police department, our investigators, and our partners in law enforcement including the Nassau County Police department… all of that work never stopped.” 

“The work is not done, and you will hear more details on that later today,” Bellone said.

Officials have scheduled a 4 p.m. ET press conference to discuss the investigation.

Rex Heuermann, a registered architect, is in custody in connection with the Gilgo Beach murder investigation, multiple sources tell CNN. 

Authorities executed a search warrant at an address registered to him in Massapequa, Long Island, on Friday morning, the sources said.

Heuermann has owned the New York City-based architecture and consulting firm RH Consultants & Associates since 1994, according to his company’s website.

“RHC has extensive experience providing over thirty years of service dealing with the New York City Building Code, the New York State Code, the NYC Department of Buildings and all major city agencies,” the company’s website reads.

In 2022, Heuermann gave an interview for the YouTube channel “Bonjour Realty,” where he spoke about his career in architecture. In the interview, Heuermann said he was born and raised in Long Island and began working in Manhattan in 1987.

CNN has reached out to Heuerman’s company for comment.

Authorities delved more into the arrest of the Gilgo Beach murder suspect who was taken into custody Thursday night in New York City.

Speaking at a news conference, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said the suspect was arrested Thursday night shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET around 35th Street and 5th Avenue in New York City.

He was transported back to Suffolk County Police headquarters in the hamlet of Yaphank on Long Island, Harrison said.

The suspect in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation, who was arrested Thursday, is connected to the murder of four women who have come to be known as the “Gilgo Four,” according to a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Authorities initially prompted by the search for missing Shannan Gilbert would come to discover the remains of four other women along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in 2010. All of the women worked as Craigslist escorts, according to officials.

The four women, who were wrapped in burlap and discovered within days of each other, were later identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; Amber Lynn Costello, 27; Megan Waterman, 22; and Melissa Barthelemy, 24.

They were last seen between July 2007 and September 2010.

By the time Gilbert’s body was found one year later on neighboring Oak Beach, investigators had unearthed 10 sets of human remains strewn across two Long Island counties.

Authorities later said they believe Gilbert’s death may have been accidental and not related to the Gilgo Beach slayings.