An architect who lived most of his life in Nassau County and worked in Manhattan was arrested Thursday night in connection with a series of killings of women near Gilgo Beach on Long Island’s South Shore. The case terrified residents and remained unsolved for more than a decade.
These are the events that led to the arrest of the architect, Rex Heuermann:
May 1, 2010
Shannan Gilbert goes missing.
Ms. Gilbert, 24, was an aspiring actress from Jersey City, NJ, who worked as an escort. She was last seen on May 1 after work in Oak Beach, a gated community several miles from Gilgo Beach.
DEC. 11 to 13, 2010
Four bodies are found along Ocean Parkway.
While searching for Ms. Gilbert’s body, Suffolk County police discovered four bodies over three days along Ocean Parkway between Gilgo Beach and Cedar Beach, nearby. The bodies were scattered about a quarter of a mile, each about 500 feet apart.
DEC. 14, 2010
Police suggest a serial killer may have been behind the deaths.
Richard Dormer, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Police Department, said in a press conference that it was not “a coincidence that four bodies appeared in the same place”, adding that “it seems as if someone targeted these individuals and dumped them.”
Mr Dormer said it looked like a car pulled over on the side of the road and “threw them out into the bushes.” He said that “the bodies would indicate that they were dumped there by the same person or persons.”
DEC. 15, 2010
The four victims are all determined to be women.
Officials were investigating whether two of the women could be Ms. Gilbert and Megan Waterman, 22, of Scarborough, Maine, who advertised themselves as an escort on Craigslist and were last seen leaving a hotel several miles northeast of where the bodies were found.
January 19, 2011
The first body is identified as Megan Waterman.
Mrs. Waterman’s death was ruled a homicide.
January 24, 2011
The other three women have been identified.
The victims were identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, of Norwich, Conn.; Melissa Barthelemy, 24, who lived in the Bronx but was originally from the Buffalo area; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, who was last seen in North Babylon on Long Island.
Ms. Brainard-Barnes has been missing since July 9, 2007; Ms. Barthelemy disappeared on July 12, 2009; and Ms. Costello was last seen on September 2, 2010.
Police said all the women whose remains were found were accomplices.
4 APRIL 2011
The police find the remains of a small child.
While searching for Ms. Gilbert’s body, investigators found the remains of eight women and one man in their late teens or early 20s, who the authorities said were wearing women’s clothing and appeared to have died a violent death.
On April 4, they found the body of a small child. The little girl’s body was hidden in a thicket of branches and poison ivy off Ocean Parkway. She was between 18 months and 24 months old at the time of her death.
December 13, 2011
After finding a total of 10 bodies, police announce that they have discovered Mrs. Gilbert’s remains.
Law enforcement officials said they found Ms. Gilbert’s “skeletal remains.” Officials said they thought Ms. Gilbert drowned trying to get to the parkway after banging on a door in Oak Beach.
JAN. 16, 2020
Officials release the first major clue about the possible killer in nearly a decade.
Investigators showed a photo of evidence collected at the beginning of the investigation: a black leather belt, embossed with a pair of letters about half an inch high, which officials believed spelled out the initials “WH” or “HM.” Officials said they thought the belt was handled by the a suspect The police also created a website with information about the case where people could leave tips.
JULY 13, 2023
Rex Heuermann is arrested in Midtown Manhattan.
Mr. Heuermann was expected to be charged Friday afternoon, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said during a brief news conference outside Mr. Heuermann’s home late Friday morning.