() — A suspect was taken into custody by the Gilgo Beach murdersa cold case linked to at least 10 sets of human remains discovered in suburban Long Island, New York, since 2010, according to two law enforcement sources.
This is the first arrest in the case, which has sparked conflicting theories as to whether a serial killer was responsible. The murders have baffled authorities since the discovery of the first set of female remains in the bushes along an isolated stretch of beachfront property in Gilgo Beach. It is unclear how many of the murders the suspect is allegedly linked to.
What we know about the suspect
Multiple sources have told that Rex Heuermann is in custody in connection with the Gilgo Beach murder investigation.
It is not clear that the murders could be related to the sprawling investigation that spans multiple geographic locations.
Authorities were executing a search warrant at an address registered to him in Massapequa as of Friday morning, sources said.
According to the Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Office, the person in custody is scheduled to appear in court this Friday morning.
Heuermann is a chartered architect who has owned the New York-based architecture and consulting firm RH Consultants & Associates since 1994, according to his firm’s website.
“RHC has extensive experience of over 30 years of service in connection with the New York City Building Code, New York State Code, New York City Department of Buildings and major agencies municipalities,” read the company’s website.
“Over the years, Rex Heuermann has provided services to other city agencies, nonprofit agencies, builders, developers, and individual building owners in regards to ADA, NYC, and NY State Codes, as well as Zoning consultation”.
In 2022, Heuermann also did an interview for the YouTube channel “Bonjour Realty” where he talked about his career in architecture.
In the interview, Heuermann said he was born and raised on Long Island and started working in Manhattan in 1987.
has contacted Heuermann’s company for comment.
Law enforcement officers arrive at a Long Island home on Friday, July 14, 2023. (Credit: Eduardo Muñoz Álvarez/AP)
The investigation
Suffolk County officials, including investigators and prosecutors, and the FBI are set to announce “significant progress in the investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigative Task Force” at 4 p.m. Miami, this Friday, according to a joint press release.
The case confounded Suffolk County officials for years. In 2020 they found a belt with initials that may have been tampered with by the suspect and launched a website to collect new leads in the investigation.
Police said some of the identified victims had advertised prostitution services on websites such as Craigslist.
The mystery began in 2010 when police discovered the first set of female remains in the bushes along an isolated stretch of beachfront property in Gilgo Beach while searching for Shannan Gilbert, a missing 23-year-old woman from Jersey City, New Jersey.
When Gilbert’s body was found a year later in neighboring Oak Beach, investigators had unearthed 10 sets of human remains scattered across two Long Island counties.
The grim discoveries generated widespread attention in the region and sent waves of fear through some communities on Long Island’s south shore.
The bodies of four women were found in the bushes along a 400-meter stretch of Ocean Parkway in Oak Beach.
Additional remains were discovered in neighboring Gilgo Beach and in Nassau County, about 40 miles east of New York City. They included those of a little girl, an Asian man and a woman initially known as “Jane Doe #6”, the researchers said.
In 2020, the Police said that “Jane Doe #6” was identified as Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old Philadelphia mother who went missing two decades earlier.
Mack’s partial remains were first discovered near Gilgo Beach in 2000, and additional dismembered remains were found in 2011, according to Suffolk County Police.
Last year, Suffolk County Police formed a task force that included the FBI, state police, and the County District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Offices to strengthen what police called “one of the most difficult homicide investigations.” important in the history of Long Island”.
