More than ten years have passed after multiple bodies were discovered along Gilgo Beach in Long Island, N.Y., after years of botched investigations, cover ups and a change in the investigation team, authorities finally identified a suspect following a lengthy investigation: Rex Heuermann.
The architect from Manhattan is currently facing allegations of murdering seven women. What is the current status of the suspected Long Island Serial Killer, and what updates are available regarding his trial? The case involving the Long Island Serial Killer has garnered heightened media interest following the debut of Netflix’s docuseries, Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer.
This series explores the extensive investigation that culminated in Heuermann’s notable arrest in 2023, while also addressing how the stigma associated with the victims' professions as escorts may have impeded the progress of the case.
These family members were determined to persevere. According to Director Liz Garbus in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, these women recognized the necessity of challenging the establishment to draw attention to their case. "Naturally, they should not have had to exert such effort.
The system ought to have been in place to safeguard them and their loved ones. Ultimately, their voices were crucial," she stated. The three-part documentary includes interviews with journalists, law enforcement personnel, the victims' families, and individuals associated with the accused.
It also features reenactments aimed at helping viewers connect with the real individuals involved in the case. As you watch, continue reading to discover the fate of the primary suspect, Rex Heuermann, including the allegations against him and his current status in 2025.
Long Island Serial Killer Rex Heuermann a 59-year-old Nassau County resident
Rex Heuermann was born and raised on Long Island and attended Berner High School in Massapequa Park.
In 2023, former classmates shared with The New York Times that he experienced a difficult home environment and faced bullying due to his solitary nature. One individual characterized him as "everyone's punching bag," noting that he struggled to integrate into any particular social group.
Heuermann pursued a degree in architectural technology at the New York Institute of Technology and subsequently established his own architectural consulting business in Manhattan. During the 1990s, he acquired his childhood residence in Massapequa Park and married Asa Ellerup, although he later revealed in a deposition that he had previously been married.
Ellerup, along with her daughter and Heuermann’s stepson, has resided in the house since then. As reported by the Long Island Press, neighbors characterized the family as reclusive and the residence as unsettling. “The family keeps to themselves and is quite reserved,” stated neighbor Frankie Musto to the publication.
“We never observed anything out of the ordinary.” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison informed CNN that when Ellerup and her daughter learned of the allegations against Heuermann, they were “shocked, disgusted, and embarrassed.”
Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer
Rex Heuermann is accused of murdering the Gilgo Beach Four — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes — the girls were escorts in their early to mid-20s who disappeared between 2007 and 2010.
In December 2010, the bodies were found at Gilgo Beach, bound with belts or tape and encased in burlap, positioned closely together along the shoreline. After the initial discovery of the Gilgo Beach Four, law enforcement officials located six more sets of remains while searching for Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old escort who had disappeared after meeting a client she found on Craigslist in Oak Beach, Long Island.
Authorities indicated that they did not believe her death was linked to the Gilgo Beach Four and proposed that she might have become disoriented in the marshes, ultimately succumbing to exposure or accidental drowning, as reported by People.
Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York
The Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, working alongside the FBI and New York State Police, started surveilling Heuermann and his family for several months after identifying him as a suspect in early 2022.
Authorities ultimately located Heuermann through his Chevrolet Avalanche. An eyewitness had previously reported seeing a Chevy Avalanche, which was later confirmed to be registered to Heuermann, leaving the vicinity where Costello was last seen the day before her disappearance.
The Chevrolet Avalanche played a crucial role in leading investigators to Heuermann’s residence in Massapequa Park and his workplace in Midtown Manhattan. Another significant piece of evidence emerged when authorities noticed Heuermann adding minutes to a burner phone, which corresponded with the activity of burner phones linked to the murders.
Furthermore, DNA obtained from a discarded pizza crust connected Heuermann to the crimes, as it matched his genetic profile with hair from his wife found on several victims, according to Netflix’s Tudum. In July 2023, Heuermann was apprehended and charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello. Six months later, in January 2024, he faced additional charges for the murder of Brainard-Barnes.
In 2024, Heuermann was also charged with the murders of two more women who were killed a decade apart on Long Island: Sandra Costilla in 1993 and Jessica Taylor in 2003. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office reported that DNA from hair discovered near both victims’ remains, along with evidence linked to his pickup truck, tied him to these killings, as reported by CBS. Several other bodies found in the Gilgo Beach area are also suspected to be associated with the Long Island Serial Killer.
Rex Heuermann, 59, of Nassau County, was arrested in Midtown Manhattan and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello — facing three counts each of first- and second-degree murder.
As of April 1, 2025, Heuermann is being held in a 60-square-foot cell at Riverhead Correctional Facility in Suffolk County, N.Y., as he awaits trial.
Although an official trial date has yet to be established, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney informed ABC7 that the case is progressing towards the trial phase, with Heuermann currently facing a single indictment that encompasses seven murder charges. In an exclusive interview with People in March 2025, Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon Jr. revealed that Heuermann has become more accustomed to life in jail since his incarceration.
“For the most part, it appears that this has become a new normal for him,” Toulon stated to the publication. “Initially, he seemed somewhat naive about his environment.
His life has changed significantly over the past several months. He receives visitors, makes phone calls, and does not interact with the general inmate population due to the nature of the charges against him.” He added, “I believe he led a double life, utilizing the anonymity provided by phones and computers to distance himself from society. Unfortunately for him—and fortunately for the rest of us—he was not successful in this endeavor.”
Fact-Checking Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer – Did Netflix Get to the Truth?
Shortly after Heuermann's arrest in 2023, his wife initiated divorce proceedings. However, she has since begun visiting him approximately once a week and is also involved in a multi-part documentary that will chronicle her experiences during Heuermann’s forthcoming trial.
“During the first three or four months of his incarceration, she did not visit him,” he noted. “It has only been in the last two months that she has started to visit more regularly.” By late March, Heuermann and his wife reached a divorce settlement. Prosecutors from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office reported that Ellerup and their children were out of town when the victims were murdered, as stated by ABC7.
"She has a difficult time throughout this whole process believing the husband that she was married to for 29 years now was capable of committing these horrific acts," Ellerup’s attorney Robert Macedonio said. “It is even more concerning that her hair and her daughter's hair were found on some of these victims. So, this process is very important to getting closure for her and her family.”
July 9, 2007 – Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, is last seen alive in NYC.
July 10, 2009 – Melissa Barthelemy, 24, is last seen alive in NYC.
May 1, 2010 – Shannan Gilbert, 23, vanishes after fleeing a client’s home in Oak Beach. Her disappearance prompts a police search.
June 6, 2010 – Megan Waterman, 22, is last seen at a Holiday Inn in Hauppauge, NY.
Sept. 2, 2010 – Amber Costello, 27, is last seen alive at her West Babylon home.
Dec. 11, 2010 – While searching for Gilbert, police find human remains along Ocean Parkway — later identified as Melissa Barthelemy.
Dec. 13, 2010 – Police uncover three more victims nearby: Brainard-Barnes, Waterman, and Costello. These four women become known as the "Gilgo Four."
March 29, 2011 – Partial remains of Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old sex worker, are found. (Her other remains were discovered in 2003 in Manorville.)
April 4, 2011 – Police find three more sets of remains:
Valerie Mack, 24 (partial remains found in 2000 in Manorville).
An unidentified female toddler.
An unidentified Asian male, aged 17–23.
April 11, 2011 – Two additional remains found in Nassau County:
The mother of the toddler (first found in 1997).
Jane Doe #7, later identified as Karen Vergata (initial remains discovered on Fire Island in 1996).
Dec. 13, 2011 – Gilbert's body is found in marshland near Oak Beach. Her death is ruled accidental drowning, though her family suspects foul play.
January 2022 – A new task force is formed by the Suffolk County DA’s Office to re-examine the case.
March 14, 2022 – Rex Heuermann is identified as a suspect. A witness linked his Chevrolet Avalanche to Costello’s last known location.
July 13, 2023 – Heuermann is arrested in Manhattan. DNA from a pizza crust matches hair found on Waterman’s body.
July 14, 2023 – He pleads not guilty to three counts of first- and second-degree murder (Barthelemy, Waterman, Costello).
Aug. 4, 2023 – Jane Doe #7 is identified as Karen Vergata, age 34.
June 6, 2024 – Heuermann is charged with two more murders:
Jessica Taylor (2003), based on DNA found on a drape beneath her body.
Sandra Costilla (1993), originally attributed to another killer. Advanced DNA testing ties her murder to Heuermann.
Further Reading:
The Menendez Brothers' Money: An in-depth analysis of the financial aspects surrounding the Menendez brothers' case, exploring the inheritance and expenditures that followed the tragic events.
Gabby Petito Tragedy: Full Timeline and What Really Happened: A comprehensive timeline detailing the events leading up to and following Gabby Petito's disappearance, as examined in Netflix's docuseries.
