SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: More than thirteen years after the Gilgo Beach murders got widespread public attention, the first arrest has been made related to the case. New York-based architect Rex Heuermann, 59, described as a married man with a family, has been suspected of the heinous murders that shook the Long Island area in the 2010s.
Rex was arrested from his midtown Manhattan office in which his daughter Victoria Heuermann was a key member of the team of four people on Thursday, July 14. The suspect has been charged with three first-degree murders and three second-degree murders in the cases of the death of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27. He is also considered the "prime suspect" in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25. All of the killer's victims were sex workers and had similar physical attributes.
Who are Rex Heuermann’s children?
Rex has been described as a family-oriented man with two children. His daughter Victoria was listed as a team member of his Rex Heuermann Architecture company. However, after his arrest on Thursday, July 14, the team members are no longer visible to the public on the company's website. His daughter had a casual picture posted on the site in which she is seen smiling heartily and wearing a pair of sunglasses.
Victoria is an artist who graduated from New York Institute of Technology. Her LinkedIn bio describes the 26-year-old as an exuberant young woman looking for work in animation. She introduced herself as "I am a recent graduate of New York Institute of Technology with a BFA in Fine Arts," and has listed her skills as "I know 3D/2D Animation, Modeling, Sculpting, Autodesk Maya/Mudbox, ZBrush, ToonBoom Harmony, Photoshop, Illustrator, and editing in After Effects and Premier." Earlier, she used to work at Macy’s from July 2017 to December 2019, having also volunteered in the animal welfare sector in Bideawee for three years. Victoria even has an artistically curated portfolio of her artworks on her LinkedIn profile.
Rex is also a father to a son who is described as a "partially disabled kid," by their neighbors as per New York Post. His name is unknown, with many neighbors believing he is probably Rex’s stepson. Their neighbor Etienne DeVilliers described his son to the news outlet, stating, "He has a partially disabled kid. A very nice kid." DeVilliers said, "We spoke frequently, every day. And his kid is a nice kid, a special needs kid," to CBS News.
'Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us'
During the press conference on Thursday, July 13, Suffolk County Police Commission Rodney Harrison said, "Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us," before adding, "A predator that ruined families. If not for the members of this task force he would still be on the streets today. Even with the arrest, we are still not done," as per PEOPLE magazine. Moreover, Rex is said to have been using cell phones to "compulsively" search for information about the victims and their families of the Gilgo Beach killings online.
