LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: A senior investigator, who worked on the Gilgo Beach serial killings task force, described the suspect Rex Heuermann as ‘a demon’ as he talked about the possibility of discovering more of his victims. The 59-year-old Manhattan architect was arrested on Thursday, July 13, on charges related to the murders of four prostitutes, whose bodies were found on an isolated Long Island beach in December 2010.
Heuermann is currently facing charges of first-degree and second-degree murder in the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. He also stands as the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. On Friday, July 14, he appeared in a Riverhead court where his lawyer indicated that he'll plead not guilty to the charges. Following Heuermann’s court appearance, Suffolk County Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony Carter described his crimes saying that “the acts that (the suspect) committed were the worst I’ve ever seen.”
'One of the worst'
“He’s a demon, and it’s really hard to get into the mind of somebody capable of committing the crimes that he committed,” the police commissioner told CNN, adding “This person intended to do what he did to these victims. And that is why I say that’s one of the worst, if not the worst.” When asked if there may be more of Heuermann’s victims, Carter answered, “Anything is possible.” He then added, “I think in the coming days, as we continue to gather evidence... There are still things that we have to do. There are still human remains that have to be investigated further in Gilgo,” he said.
“I can’t begin to imagine the pain that these families have had to endure over the last decade and to know that this demon was capable of doing such an evil act to these families, it is just, you know, beyond comprehension,” Carter fumed. To revive the investigation into the Gilgo Beach serial killing, the multi-jurisdictional task force was established in 2022 just three days after Carter assumed the position of deputy commissioner. The task force reportedly included top investigators from the FBI, the Suffolk County Police, the New York State Police, the Sheriff's Department, and several other agencies.
'They never quit'
“The detectives in this case… they never quit. They’ve been working this case for over a decade and they never quit,” Carter remarked as he reflected on investigators’ relentless work to apprehend the suspect. Several concrete evidences including cell phone data, credit card statements, and DNA testing, reportedly helped authorities crack open the case. In January 2023, investigators got a sample of Heuermann’s DNA from leftover crust in a pizza box he threw in the trash. "There was a lot of persistence and a lot of detailed planning that went into all of that," Carter said of the task force's attempts to obtain a testable sample of their suspect's DNA. “Between our undercovers and really the full power of the task force, we were able to finally get that abandonment sample,” he concluded.
