Serial killings prosecutor reveals details of unidentified victim’s violent death
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney revealed new information about the Gilgo Beach serial slayings on Monday, as a multi-agency task force continues to dig into unsolved cold case murders following the indictment of local architect Rex Heuermann in connection with a half-dozen slayings in the same area.
In the months after 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert placed a panicked 911 call and vanished in May 2010, police found 10 other bodies along Ocean Parkway, about 45 miles east of New York City near Gilgo Beach.
Several victims remain unidentified, including “Asian Doe,” whose remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach on April 4, 2011. Tierney’s office asked for the public’s help identifying him Monday along with the release of a new composite sketch created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They placed the time of death at least five years prior to the discovery of his remains.
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The unidentified remains belong to a biological male victim whose heritage was traced to southern China. He was between 17 and 23 years old at the time of death and between 5 feet, 3 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches tall, according to authorities. He was wearing women’s clothing, which Tierney revealed on Monday, including Bill Blass pants and a bra and shirts from Rafaella and Chrysantheme.
Heuermann, 61, has been quietly jailed since his arrest in July 2023. He allegedly had a perverse search history for themes of torture, including the phrases, “Asian twink tied up” and “Asian escorts Manhattan.”
He has not been charged in Doe’s cold case murder, which Tierney described as “homicide by blunt force trauma.”
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Heuermann is accused of torturing his victims before killing them. Some were dismembered, with their remains scattered across multiple locations. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in six murder cases.
Tierney’s office has charged Heuerman with murder in the deaths of the so-called Gilgo Four: Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; Amber Costello, 27; and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25. Their remains were all found near each other just east of Gilgo Beach.
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He also faces charges in connection with the deaths of Jessica Taylor, 20, and Sandra Costilla, 28, who were dismembered and dumped in both the Gilgo Beach area and eastern Long Island.
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Anyone with information on the case or the victim is asked to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. There is a reward of $2,500 for the successful identification of the victim.