Who was Karen Vergata? Gilgo Beach serial killings victim Jane Doe 7 identified 26 years after remains found
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: After nearly three decades of investigation into the unidentified remains, investigators have named Jane Doe 7 of the Gilgo Beach murder victims as Karen Vergata. According to District Attorney Raymond Tierney, the victim was 34 years old when she went missing on Valentine's Day in 1996.
Rex Heuermann, the New York-based architect was arrested on July 13 in connection to the Gilgo Beach serial killings. He was charged with multiple counts of murder in connection to the gruesome deaths of three young women Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Amber Lynn Costello, 22, and Megan Waterman, 27, that took place between 2007 and 2010, and their bodies were found scattered alongside Ocean Parkway. He is also considered a prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. According to medical examiners, all four women were strangled to death, according to Daily Mail.
Who was Karen Vergata?
Vergata who lived in Manhattan was "believed to be working as an escort" at that time, said Tierney who added that no missing person report was filed at the time.
"In August 2022, approximately six months after we formed this Gilgo taskforce, a DNA profile suitable for genealogical comparison was developed for Karen Vergata. In September 2022, the FBI was able, via a genetic genealogy review, to identify Ms Vergata presumptively as Fire Island Jane Doe," he said on Friday morning. Tierney further added, "Thereafter, in October 2022, using a buccal swab from a relative of Karen Vergata, we were able to definitively identify her."
Are there any charges in the murder of Vergata?
According to Tierney, there are no charges in the case at this time and he stated, "We are going to continue to work this particular case as we did the Gilgo Four investigation." He also revealed the reason why her identity was not disclosed prior to Friday, August 4 as that: "At or around the same time we were beginning our grand jury confidential investigation into what's become known as the Gilgo Four."
What happened to Vergata?
On April 20, 1996, Vergata's remains were discovered at Davis Park by people who walked along Blue Point Beach. The victim was also known as the Fire Island Jane Doe after her legs were found wrapped in plastic at the park located on Fire Island. Though authorities were not able to identify the woman initially, they shared details of the remains discovered hoping to receive leads in the case. She had distinctive scars and markings on her legs.
