(USNewsMag.com) – The families of the Long Island serial killer’s victims finally know what became of their loved ones after years of not knowing who took their lives. The mystery has ended with the killer’s recent arrest for dumping human remains on the coastline.
On Friday, authorities announced the arrest of 59-year-old Rex Heuermann. An architect living in Massapequa Park, Long Island, with his family, the 6’4 Heuermann was described as reclusive, living in a home that did not appear well-maintained. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison described Heuermann as both a “demon” and an “ogre.”
A search of Heuermann’s home revealed over 200 firearms.
Following the disappearance of a prostitute in 2010, the remains of 11 other people were uncovered during the investigation. Thirteen years later, Heuermann was arrested for three of those deaths, including Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, all determined to have died from homicidal violence.
The victims were found within a short distance of each other, roughly 22 to 33 feet from Long Island’s Ocean Parkway’s edge. The women were all in their 20s, prostitutes, and described as small in size.
Suffolk County police released information about a belt with the initials “WH or HM” on January 16, 2020, to generate leads as they believed it was handled by the suspect at one of the crime scenes.
According to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, Heuermann used burner phones to contact his victims and then dispose of them after the murders. The phones were traced to Long Island, which put the owner of the phones near the beach at the time of the murders. Using DNA from the hair that was recovered, Heuermann became a suspect.
Items like burlap and tape that were used in the murders were either taken from defendant Heuermann’s residence or transferred from his clothing, where his wife also lives.
Heuermann entered a plea of not guilty to three first-degree murder charges and three second-degree murder charges and was detained without bail.
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