Why is Rex Heuermann being investigated by Las Vegas police? Gilgo Beach murders suspect under scanner over unsolved cases
LONG ISLAND, NEWYORK: After being arrested last week for at least three deaths discovered in the marsh below Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York, Rex Heuermann is accused of being a serial killer. Now Las Vegas investigators are looking into their unsolved cases to see whether Heuermann is related to any of them.
Property records show that Heuermann owns a timeshare in Las Vegas, a few miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The house was bought for $16,955 and sold on April 23, 2005. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said, "We are aware of Rex Heuermann's connection to Las Vegas. We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement." Which instances were under examination was not made clear by the department, as reported by Fox News.
Authorities in New York said that Heuermann murdered three young ladies
Authorities in New York said that Heuermann murdered three young women, bound them up, and buried their remains 45 miles east of Manhattan along a lonely roadway. He was charged with first- and second-degree murder for the deaths of Gilgo victims Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, according to the announcement made by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney on Friday.
The first four fatalities are known as the 'Gilgo Four'
Additionally, he continues to be a top suspect in the killing of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, and another seven bodies have been found in the region. More than ten years after the remains of sex workers and other victims were discovered east of New York City during the search for missing escort Shannan Gilbert, 24, the murders still have not been solved. The first four fatalities, known as the "Gilgo Four," were located by search crews following a string of terrifying 911 calls from Gilbert. They were Barthelemy, Waterman, Costello, and Brainard-Barnes.
Breakthrough in the investigation
According to the bail application, a breakthrough in the investigation occurred in January when detectives obtained a sample from some leftover pizza crust Heuermann had thrown outside his Manhattan office. A hair discovered on the burlap sack containing Waterman's remains was connected to him by DNA evidence.
Double life of Rex Heuermann
Heuermann, the son of an aerospace engineer, resided with his wife and kids in the quaint community of Massapequa Park on the southern border of Nassau County, across the water from where the bodies were discovered. Heuermann stated he was born and reared on Long Island in a video interview that was published online by Bonjour Realty last year, as Suffolk County police established a multiagency task force to look into the long-dormant cases. In Manhattan since 1987, he had been employed as an architectural consultant, as reported by CNN.