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Suffolk County District Lawyer Raymond Tierney revealed particulars in regards to the investigation into the arrest of Rex Heuermann, 59, saying it concerned greater than 300 subpoenas and search warrants.
“This case shouldn’t be over; it is solely starting,” Tierney advised reporters Friday afternoon of the probe into the long-unsolved killings of girls whose our bodies have been discovered on Lengthy Island’s Gilgo Seaside greater than a decade in the past. “We’re persevering with to execute search warrants and anticipate getting extra proof.”
In courtroom Friday, Heuermann, of Massapequa Park, pleaded not responsible to a few counts of first-degree homicide and three counts of second-degree homicide within the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, in keeping with the indictment. These three ladies, together with Maureen Brainard-Barnes, have been all present in shut proximity to 1 one other in 2010 and have been known as the “Gilgo Seaside 4.”
Heuermann was ordered held with out bail. His subsequent courtroom look is scheduled for August 1.
In a bail software, prosecutors outlined how investigators re-examined outdated clues that led to the suspect and developed new proof to shut in on him after so a few years.
Monitoring a suspected serial killer
In January 2022, a group of federal, state, and native investigators joined forces to launch the Gilgo Seaside Murder Investigation Job Pressure. In line with the courtroom paperwork, investigators started a “complete evaluation of each merchandise of proof” within the case.
The Avalanche and “the ogre”
About two months later, Heuermann, an architect, and married father of two, was first recognized as a suspect. In March 2022, detectives linked Heuermann to a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck registered to him on the time of the murders, much like one reported seen by a witness when one of many victims, Amber Costello, disappeared in 2010.
Heuermann was described by the witness to police as showing like an “ogre.”
The pizza crust and a hair
In line with the courtroom paperwork, on or about Jan. 26, 2023, a surveillance group recovered a pizza field thrown by Heuermann right into a rubbish can on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The pizza field was despatched to the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory for evaluation.
On April 28, 2023, a detective hand-delivered a portion of male hair that was discovered on Megan Waterman that had been preserved as proof to the identical lab the place the pizza crust had been examined.
In line with the courtroom submitting, on or about June 12, 2023, the forensic lab in contrast the mitochondrial DNA from the pizza and the hair and decided that the “DNA profile(s) are the identical” — particularly that 99.96% of the North American inhabitants could be excluded as matches to the hair.
“It’s important that (Heuermann) can’t be excluded from the male hair recovered close to the ‘backside of the burlap’ utilized to restrain and transport Megan Waterman’s bare and deceased physique,” prosecutors wrote.
Retesting hair samples
Authorities recovered hairs discovered with every of the victims, which have been too degraded to check for DNA with the strategies obtainable at the moment. However the know-how improved, Tierney stated, and investigators have been capable of take a look at the hairs with extra superior strategies.
In July 2022, 11 bottles have been collected from a trash can outdoors of the Heuermann house and despatched for mitochondrial DNA testing. DNA profiles generated from the bottles have been examined in opposition to beforehand examined hair samples recovered on the stays of Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. Outcomes discovered that Heuermann’s spouse couldn’t be excluded from both of the feminine hairs recovered on the stays of Waterman and Costello. The hair was believed to have been transferred from her husband’s clothes. Heuermann’s spouse was out-of-state on the time of every of the murders, in keeping with the courtroom submitting. She has not been charged.
Burner telephones, selfies and Tinder
The investigation additionally turned up connections with burner cellphones and different telephone knowledge allegedly linked to the suspect. Tierney stated FBI analysts have been capable of examine the cell web site knowledge of the victims’ cellphones and knowledge from seven pay as you go, nameless burner telephones the suspect allegedly used to speak with every of the victims.
“Then, shortly after the loss of life of the sufferer, he would do away with the burner telephone,” Tierney advised reporters.
In line with the courtroom paperwork, Heuermann used a burner cellphone to contact the three ladies.
Over the course of the investigation, investigators situated quite a few on-line accounts and burner telephones linked to Heuermann, which have been held by him in fictitious names and used for illicit actions, in keeping with the courtroom submitting.
A search warrant carried out on a fictitious AOL Account revealed “selfie” images that appeared to have been taken by Heuermann of himself and despatched to solicit and prepare for sexual exercise. American Specific data obtained by way of subpoena revealed recurring “Google Pay” funds made by Heuermann to the relationship app “Tinder,” which linked to a burner telephone.
A evaluation of name data for 2 extra burner cellphones revealed that each cellphones have been used extensively between 2021 and 2023 for prostitution-related contacts.
On Could 19, 2023, Heuermann was noticed by legislation enforcement at a cellphone retailer in Midtown Manhattan, the place they are saying he bought extra minutes for a burner cellphone.
An arrest
Heuermann was arrested by Suffolk County Police Officers at his workplace in Manhattan on July 13, 2023. On the time of his arrest, Heuermann was carrying a burner cellphone which was linked to a Thawk E mail Account used to conduct the net searches, in keeping with the courtroom doc.
Authorities say in a 14-month interval, Heuermann had greater than 200 Google searches on the Gilgo investigation and extra searches in search of pictures of the victims and their relations.
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