The suspect in the Gilgo Beach murders, who was taken into prison on Friday, was a Long Island, New York, resident who resided in a South Shore neighborhood not far from the beach highway where human remains were originally discovered more than ten years ago.
Rex Heuermann, 59, of Massapequa Park, a town in Nassau County, was named as the suspect by four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the case.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison did not identify the suspect during a news conference on Friday, but he did reveal that he was arrested in midtown Manhattan on Thursday night and taken to Suffolk County.
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It wasn’t immediately clear if Heuermann had legal representation. Although there had been a “significant development in the case,” the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office opted to hold off on making any more comments until after a court hearing later on Friday.
After the discovery of human remains in 2010 close to Gilgo Beach resulted in the discovery of up to 16 victims, many of whom were sex workers, the case confused detectives for years. Police suspected that a serial killer was responsible for some of those murders.
Attorney John Ray, who represents the families of victims Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor, expressed his “delight” at the arrest in the Gilgo Beach murders. However, he went on to say that he believes “very strongly” that Heuermann is not to blame for all 11 killings, including those of Gilbert and Taylor.
In an interview this morning, Ray remarked, “It gives us something of a sigh of relief, but it’s partial. There’s still much to be done on this.”
Ray asserted that he is positive that the arrest made today only has a connection to the ‘Gilgo Four,’ four victims whose remains were found wrapped in burlap days apart in late 2010. Gilbert and Taylor were not included in the group of four, and their families continue to hold out hope for another arrest, he said. Ray said that there is undoubtedly another suspect.
