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A man has been charged with the murders of three women in New York more than a decade ago and leaving their bodies near a Long Island beach, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office says.
Eleven sets of human remains were found in 2010 and 2011 along an isolated stretch of Gilgo Beach on an Atlantic barrier island about 64km east of New York City. The remains were linked to nine women, one man, and a toddler girl. The killings drew national attention.
The suspect, Rex A. Heuermann, a 59-year-old architect who lived a 20-minute drive from Gilgo Beach, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was arrested on Thursday evening and is under investigation for the murder of a fourth woman whose disappearance and death resembled the others.
Detectives used DNA samples to link Heuermann to the murders, including swabbing leftover crust from a pizza he consumed after a surveillance team saw him throw it away in Manhattan in January.
According to the bail application, Heuermann used a burner mobile phone to contact the three women, who were in their 20s and advertised themselves as sex workers. He bound them with belts or tape before wrapping some of the bodies in a burlap-type material.
“This case is not over, it’s only beginning,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney at a press conference where he appeared alongside Suffolk County law enforcement officers, federal agents, and some of the victims’ relatives.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said his officers were investigating the other murders and urged the public to share any relevant information with them.
At least five of the Gilgo Beach victims were identified as missing prostitutes who had advertised for clients online, including on Craigslist, police said.
The arrest of Heuermann brings some closure to the families of the victims who have been waiting for justice for over a decade. However, the investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement is determined to uncover the full extent of these crimes and ensure that all responsible parties are held accountable..
