Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach

Even though there has been an arrest in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, investigators are still trying to solve cold-case murders and authorities are asking for the public's help.

On Monday, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney released three new updated sketches of a Gilgo Beach victim.

The Asian male victim's remains were recovered along Ocean Parkway in April 2011. However, authorities say he was killed during or prior to 2006.

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Suffolk County prosecutors have received some 7,000 tips following the arrest of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann, district attorney Ray Tierney said after his latest court appearance.

Prosecutors turned over "voluminous" evidence to Heuermann's defense, including results from DNA lab work, data from Heuermann's electronic devices, and notes from searches of his home.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to killing multiple women.

His next court date is scheduled for October. No trial date has been set.

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Rex Heuermann, the accused Gilgo Beach serial killer charged in six killings is now being eyed by investigators for even more, nearly one year to the day that the Manhattan architect, husband, and father of two was arrested.

Heuermann's adult children - and his now-estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, showed support at court.

Robert Macedonio, Asa's attorney, talked with Eyewitness News reporter, Chantee Lans, about what the past year has been like for the family.

"Complete shock. The world was turned upside-down in the last year."

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Disturbing new details have emerged in the Gilgo Beach serial killings as Rex Heuermann, 60, was charged in two additional women.

The new charges also significantly expand the timeline in the Gilgo Beach case, with the first murder Heuermann is accused of committing now taking place in 1993.

Prosecutors also revealed disturbing "planning" documents that they allege the suspect used in his killings and disposal of the victims.

The architect and father allegedly "meticulously planned and executed six separate murders," Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said at a news conference Thursday.

Heuermann appeared before a judge on Long Island to face charges in the killings of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla, two young women who were long suspected of being the victims of men preying on sex workers.

Listen to our latest "Eyewitness News to Gilgo Beach" episode and make sure you follow us to catch future episodes or listen to our archives explaining the case as only New York's Eyewitness News can.

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Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann is expected to be charged this week with an additional murder, according to Newsday.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to killing four women -- Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes - whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach along Ocean Parkway.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney declined to comment.

Word of the new indictment follows searches by the Gilgo Beach Task Force at Heuermann's Massapequa Park home and a wooded area of Manorville where the remains of two women were previously found.

Heuermann had been scheduled to appear in court on June 18 but is now expected to be arraigned on the new charge on Thursday, June 6.

Listen to this breaking update in the latest installment of "Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach."

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The former executive assistant of accused Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann is speaking for the first time exclusively with Eyewitness News.

Donna Sturman told investigative reporter Kristin Thorne she still has not gotten over the shock of the claims made against her former boss.

"It's traumatizing," she said. "It's so unbelievable."

Sturman worked for Heuermann from 2017 to 2018 at his architectural office in Midtown.

She said the irony is not lost on her that it was DNA from a discarded piece of pizza crust that prosecutors have used to tie Heuermann to the Gilgo Beach murders. He has plead not guilty to all the charges.

Listen to her story in the latest installment of "Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach."

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"Rex Heuermann is everything we've been led to believe would be the guy," said reporter Josh Einiger. "He's kind of a loner. He's kind of antisocial. His house is different from every other house on that block. It's sort of a mess. He works in the city. He has a job, where he's very technical, where he's an architect and engineer."

The amazing details of the investigation that finally collared a suspect in the longtime cold case.

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On July 13, 2023, police finally made an arrest in the Gilgo Beach murder case.

"This was an earthquake in Massapequa Park. This was a storm like they had never expected this," recalled Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager.

Rex Heuermann was arrested in Midtown Manhattan. He was initially charged in the deaths of Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy.

Investigators also named him as the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

The next episode of "Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach" drops Thursday, March 14. Never miss an episode - hit follow for all future installments of our series.

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Eyewitness News got an alert that Suffolk County police were going to release surveillance video of Megan Waterman leaving a hotel in Hauppauge -- the last place she was seen.

"As reporters were thinking, again, why do this now?" recalled Kristin Thorne. "They've had this video for so many years -- why now? And they said they want to keep the case going."

Then on May 9, 2022, Suffolk County Police released a 22-minute 911 phone call from Shannan Gilbert the night she disappeared in 2010.

"The 911 tape was sort of as advertised," said Einiger. "It was Shannan Gilbert sounding terrified running for her life."

The next episode of "Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach" drops Thursday, March 7. Never miss an episode - hit follow for all future installments of our series.

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In December 2015, the FBI joined the investigation.

Why did that collaboration not happen for so many years?

"It didn't happen because of politics. We had a police chief in Suffolk County, as well as a DA, that did not seem open to FBI involvement," recalled Kristin Thorne.

On Jan. 16, 2020, police released photos of a belt imprinted with the letters "H-M" or "M-H" to the public. Police say they believe the belt was handled by the suspect.

Two years later, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison announced a new task force to investigate the Gilgo Beach murders.

The next episode of "Eyewitness to Gilgo Beach" drops Thursday, Feb. 29. Never miss an episode - hit follow for all future installments of our series.

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