Gilgo Beach Killings Timeline

What to Know

• Rex Heuermann, 61, was first arrested in July 2023 in the deaths of three of the four women whose remains were found in burlap sacks along a remote stretch of Gilgo Beach’s Ocean Parkway in 2010; the fourth murder was added in a superseding indictment in January 2024
• The architect from NYC pleaded not guilty in their cases; other sets of remains were found amid that investigation. In June, he was charged with murdering one of those women — Jessica Taylor — and a previously unknown victim, Sandra Costilla, whose case dates back to 1993
• Now he’s accused of killing Valerie Mack. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him; a planning document for his alleged kills was seized at his home during a recent search, according to the bail application

The Investigation

In 2010, investigators searching for a missing woman began finding 10 sets of human remains in the scrub along a barrier island parkway, not far from the sands of New York’s remote Gilgo Beach. Police almost immediately feared some were left by a serial killer.

Timeline of the Investigation

• Nov. 20, 1993: Two hunters discover the body of Sandra Costilla, 28, in a wooded area of North Sea, a hamlet in the Hamptons near the eastern end of Long Island. Costilla had been living in New York City.
• April 20, 1996: The partial remains of Karen Vergata are discovered on Fire Island, a barrier beach off Long Island’s southern coast. Her name remains unknown to investigators until 2022, when new DNA analysis helps them make an identification. Vergata, 34, was last in contact with her family on Feb. 14, 1996. She was involved in sex work when she vanished.
• June 28, 1997: The partial remains of a woman, nicknamed “Peaches” by investigators after a tattoo on her body, are discovered stuffed inside a plastic tub in a state park in West Hempstead, New York. Her identity remains unknown.
• September 2000: The partial skeletal remains of Valerie Mack, who had been working as an escort in Philadelphia, are found in a wooded area in Manorville, New York. Mack, 24, was last seen by her family in the spring or summer of that year in Port Republic, New Jersey.
• July 26, 2003: The partial skeletal remains of Jessica Taylor are discovered in a wooded area of Manorville. She was 20 when she vanished and had been an escort working in New York City.
• July 9, 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, who had traveled to New York City from her home in Norwich, Connecticut, for sex work, is last heard from by a friend. She says she is leaving her hotel to meet a client. Investigators later say cellphone records showed her phone was last used on Long Island.
• July 10, 2009: Melissa Barthelemy, a 24-year-old sex worker, is last seen at her apartment in the Bronx. She tells a friend she is going to see a man and will be back in the morning. Cellphone location data puts her phone’s last known location on Long Island. Days later, a man begins using Barthelemy’s mobile phone to make taunting phone calls to her relatives.
• May 1, 2010: Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker, disappears in the barrier island community of Oak Beach, New York, after fleeing the house of a client and banging on a neighbor’s door. In a recorded 911 call, she tells a dispatcher that people are after her, but she can also be heard refusing offers of help. Her pimp, the client and his neighbor all tell police she appeared disoriented and ran into the night on her own.
• June 6, 2010: Megan Waterman, 22, who had traveled to Long Island from Maine for sex work, is last seen at a motel in Hauppauge, New York.
• September 2, 2010: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, is last seen leaving her home in West Babylon to meet with a sex work client. A male friend later tells investigators he noticed a Chevrolet Avalanche, presumably driven by the client.
• December 11, 2010: A police officer and his dog discover Barthelemy’s remains while conducting a training exercise along Ocean Parkway.
• December 13, 2010: Police find the bodies of Costello, Brainard-Barnes and Waterman on the same quarter-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway where Barthelemy’s remains were located.
• December 14, 2010: Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer publicly announces the discovery of the bodies and says a serial killer might be to blame. Police expand the search, looking for additional remains or any sign of Gilbert.
• March 29, 2011: Some of Taylor’s remains are discovered along Ocean Parkway.
• April 4, 2011: Additional remains of Valerie Mack are found along Ocean Parkway. Near those remains, investigators also find the remains of an unidentified female toddler, later identified through DNA as the daughter of “Peaches.” Elsewhere on the parkway, investigators discover the remains of an Asian male. Investigators estimate he died five to 10 years earlier and was in his late teens or early 20s. He still has not been identified.
• April 11, 2011: Additional remains of Vergata are discovered along Ocean Parkway, several miles west of Gilgo Beach. Police also find remains belonging to “Peaches” along the beach parkway.
• December 13, 2011: Gilbert’s skeletal remains are discovered in a tidal marsh near Oak Beach. After an autopsy and further investigation, Suffolk Police say she most likely accidentally drowned. Her family still suspects she was slain.

Conclusion

The investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings has been ongoing for over a decade, with multiple discoveries and arrests. The case has been marked by tragedy and mystery, and the latest developments have shed new light on the scope of the crimes. The accused, Rex Heuermann, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, but the evidence suggests a pattern of violence and deception.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Rex Heuermann?
A: Rex Heuermann is a 61-year-old architect from New York City who has been accused of murdering multiple women in the 2000s and 2010s.

Q: What is the Gilgo Beach case?
A: The Gilgo Beach case refers to the discovery of multiple human remains along a remote stretch of Ocean Parkway in 2010 and 2011. The case is believed to be linked to a serial killer.

Q: How many victims are associated with the Gilgo Beach case?
A: The case is linked to at least six victims, including Shannan Gilbert, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, and Jessica Taylor. The identity of a seventh victim, known as “Peaches,” has not been publicly disclosed.