Timeline: Investigating the Long Island serial killings

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What began arsenic a hunt for 1 missing pistillate led to aggregate bodies and the seizure of a antheral police accidental is simply a serial killer.

May 1, 2010: Shannan Gilbert disappears

Shannan Gilbert, 23, was moving arsenic an escort. In the aboriginal greeting hours of May 1, 2010, Gilbert made a frantic telephone telephone to 911. She had been astatine a client's location connected Long Island, and said she believed idiosyncratic was aft her. She took disconnected moving and told the 911 relation determination were radical trying to termination her. Then, Gilbert vanished.

Police would bash an exhaustive hunt for Gilbert. Months passed without a motion of the missing pistillate and then, successful December 2010, adjacent Gilgo Beach, a constabulary serviceman and his K-9, Blue, recovered quality remains. But it wasn't Gilbert. Instead, they recovered the bodies of 4 women.

December 2010: The Gilgo Four

Police recovered the bodies of 4 women adjacent Gilgo Beach connected New York's Long Island. The women became known arsenic the Gilgo Four and were identified arsenic Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. Police accidental each of the women were petite and 3 of them were wrapped successful burlap. Police began their hunt to find a serial killer.

The slayer had a type

Dominick Varrone, who was Suffolk County main of detectives astatine the time, said determination were striking similarities among the Gilgo Four. "Very petite. 5 ft oregon under, 100 pounds," Varrone said. The women were besides each successful their 20s and were each moving arsenic online escorts.

July 6, 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes' last weekend

Maureen Brainard-Barnes is often referred to arsenic the archetypal of the Gilgo Four. She went missing successful July 2007. Brainard-Barnes was a azygous parent of 2 surviving successful Norwich, Connecticut. She had begun moving arsenic an escort, posting ads connected Craigslist and different websites to conscionable clients. On July 6, 2007, her cellphone was contacted by a burner cellphone — a prepaid telephone that anyone tin bargain and usage anonymously. Between July 6 and July 9, determination were 16 interactions betwixt the caller utilizing a burner telephone and Brainard-Barnes' cellphone.

July 8, 2007: Missy Cann's past telephone with her sister

Maureen Brainard-Barnes' sister, Missy Cann, received a telephone from Maureen precocious astatine nighttime from Penn Station successful midtown Manhattan. In an interrogation successful 2020, Cann told "48 Hours" Maureen said she was going to instrumentality the bid astatine midnight. Cann ne'er saw oregon heard from Maureen again.

July 2009: The disappearance of Melissa Barthelemy

Melissa Barthelemy, 24, moved from Buffalo, New York, to New York City to enactment arsenic a hairdresser. At immoderate point, she besides began moving arsenic an escort. In July 2009, astir 2 years to the time that Brainard-Barnes went missing, Barthelemy disappeared.

July 17, 2009: Taunting telephone calls begin

In the weeks pursuing Barthelemy's disappearance, constabulary accidental her past 15-year-old sister, Amanda, received a bid of telephone calls from a antheral calling from Melissa's cellphone. The archetypal of these calls came connected July 17, 2009 astatine astir 12:40 p.m. A fig of calls followed successful the coming weeks. In one, the caller told Amanda helium had killed Melissa.

June 5, 2010: Megan Waterman

Megan Waterman, 22, a parent from Scarborough, Maine, was besides moving arsenic an escort. On June 5, 2010, she was contacted by a burner telephone which had conscionable been activated that aforesaid day.

June 6, 2010: Megan Waterman vanishes

At 1:31 a.m., Waterman's telephone was again contacted by the aforesaid burner telephone arsenic the time before. Security video showed Waterman leaving a Holiday Inn Express successful Hauppauge, Long Island, astir the aforesaid time. This was the past clip she was seen alive.

"I can't bring her back"

Liliana Waterman was conscionable 3 years aged erstwhile her parent disappeared. In her archetypal tv interrogation successful 2020, Liliana (pictured with Megan Waterman) told "48 Hours" that if she could speech to her mom, she would archer her however overmuch she loves her. "I ne'er got to truly accidental those words," Liliana told analogous Erin Moriarty. She said she misses her ma each day.

Sept. 2, 2010: Amber Costello disappears

Amber Costello, a 27-year-old escort surviving connected Long Island, was contacted by idiosyncratic utilizing a burner phone. The adjacent day, she near her location to conscionable a lawsuit and ne'er returned.

After Costello's disappearance, constabulary accidental her roommate Dave Schaller told them astir her clients. He described 1 of them arsenic looking similar an "ogre" and having "a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche." On the nighttime she went missing, Schaller says, a lawsuit offered Cistello $1,500 for the nighttime – six times her hourly rate.

In 2011, Schaller spoke to Moriarty. "This feline was truthful relentless," Schaller said. "He called respective times. He was connected the telephone with her for rather a portion each time." He says the lawsuit got Costello, an experienced escort, to bash thing she ne'er did: permission location without her purse oregon cellphone and conscionable him successful his car. At astir midnight, Schaller says Costello near the house, walked down the street, and helium ne'er saw her again.

Dec. 16, 2010: Still nary Shannan

Throughout the outpouring of 2011, investigators continued a wide-ranging hunt for Shannan Gilbert.

May 2011: Six much sets of remains discovered

Suffolk County representation of serial killer's victims

By May 2011, constabulary had discovered six much sets of remains successful the area, bringing the full to 10 — including the Gilgo Four. Investigators were not definite the aforesaid slayer was liable for each the murders.

Victim No. 5, Jessica Taylor, is an escort who went missing successful 2003.
Another acceptable of remains constabulary called "Jane #6" has present been identified arsenic Valerie Mack, who besides worked arsenic an escort and went missing successful 2000.
Number 7, to investigators' astonishment they recovered a toddler girl.
Number 8 was an Asian antheral dressed successful women's clothing.
Number 9 was a pistillate skull belonging to Karen Vergata, an escort who disappeared successful 1996.
Number 10, pistillate remains, from a unfortunate cops nicknamed "Peaches" due to the fact that of a tattoo connected her torso. Although her remains were recovered 6 miles away, constabulary accidental DNA has confirmed that "Peaches" is the parent of that toddler.

Dec. 13, 2011: Shannan Gilbert is found

In December 2011, a year-and-a-half aft she went missing, and a twelvemonth aft the Gilgo Four were found, investigators found Gilbert's remains. But they don't judge she was murdered.

Years later, the Suffolk County Police Department released the afloat audio of Shannan's 21-minute 911 telephone connected May 1, 2010, the greeting she disappeared. Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said successful an interrogation with Erin Moriarty, Gilberts's decease was apt not a murder. "It's an unfortunate incident, but close present we judge that she conscionable ran into the marsh and unluckily drowned," Harrison said.

February 2022: A caller look astatine the case

For astir a decennary aft the find of the Gilgo Four, the probe stalled. Until, successful February 2022, a caller task unit was formed by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. In an interrogation withMoriarty, DA Tierney said, "... a specified six weeks aboriginal ... Rex Heuermann was identified for the archetypal time."

A extremity from the past

How did investigators get a fishy successful six weeks? It turns retired that successful the archetypal lawsuit files were a fig of captious clues that the caller task unit was yet capable to connect. Costello's roommate Dave Schaller had antecedently described 1 of Costello's clients and the benignant of conveyance helium drove to investigators. The conveyance was a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche.

With a statement of an"ogre-like" man, and the marque and exemplary of his truck, constabulary took a person look astatine Costello's telephone records from 2010. Schaller had told them that earlier Costello disappeared, determination was 1 lawsuit that called her incessantly.

The burner telephone clue

Police backmost past knew the lawsuit was utilizing a burner phone. And they knew that the Brainard-Barnes, Barthelemy, Costello and Waterman had each been successful interaction with burner numbers close earlier they disappeared.

In 2012, with the assistance of the FBI, constabulary determined that astir of those calls connected to compartment towers wrong a tiny country of Massapequa Park, Long Island. They called this country "the box." According to DA Tierney, "the box" consisted of a mates of blocks wrong Massapequa Park.

A fishy successful sight

Armed with their tiny radius of "the box" and the statement of an "ogre-like" antheral that drove a Chevrolet Avalanche, the task unit present had a premier suspect. Police identified an designer named Rex Heuermann arsenic the antheral they believed whitethorn person been liable for the murders.

And erstwhile they looked astatine Heuermann's idiosyncratic cellphone records, they accidental that his telephone was successful the aforesaid country arsenic those burner phones erstwhile they were utilized to interaction victims. They besides accidental that erstwhile the burner phones contacted victims, they were often successful Massapequa Park, wherever Heuermann lived, oregon midtown Manhattan, wherever his architectural steadfast was located. In 2023, they noticed Heuermann going into a telephone store to marque a outgo connected a burner phone.

A DNA hit

Police began to process Heuermann. When helium threw retired a pizza container into a trash tin successful midtown Manhattan, investigators recovered that Heuermann's DNA connected the pizza crust was accordant with a DNA illustration recovered connected a antheral hairsbreadth discovered with Megan Waterman's body. With DNA evidence, on with the cellphone records linking Heuermann to the burner phones, officers made an arrest.

July 14, 2023: A fishy successful custody

Rex Heuermann, of Massapequa Park, Long Island, was charged with aggregate counts of murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. Heuermann is presently the premier fishy for the execution of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, but helium has not been charged with her death.

When asked astir Heuermann's innocence astatine a property conference, Heuerman's lawyer Michael Brown said, "What has my lawsuit told me? He told maine helium didn't bash this."

Digging for evidence

Police spent 12 days looking done Heuermann's house, pulling guns retired of the basement, and digging successful the backyard. Another important portion of grounds taken into possession was a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche registered to Heuermann astatine the clip of the murders. It was sitting connected spot helium owns successful South Carolina erstwhile they recovered it.

An accidental to kill?

A joined man, Heuermann has a girl and stepson with his 2nd wife, Asa Ellerup. Ellerup, who was calved successful Iceland, would instrumentality the children to spot her household determination successful the summers. It was during these trips and others, constabulary believe, that Heuermann killed the women.

Heuermann pleaded not guilty

Heuermann was arraigned successful Suffolk County Court successful Riverhead, New York. He pleaded not blameworthy to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. The justice ordered that helium beryllium held without bail successful a Suffolk County jailhouse wherever helium is presently awaiting trial.

Remembering Amber, Melissa and Megan

From left, Amber Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy

Investigators anticipation that the apprehension tin springiness victims' families a consciousness of peace. Police Commissioner Harrison told Erin Moriarty, "He took distant somebody's mother, somebody's daughter, somebody's sister, not conscionable 1 person, aggregate individuals."

Other investigations?

Investigations dispersed to South Carolina and Las Vegas wherever Heuermann owns property, with detectives determination taking a caller look astatine cases of missing women. Heuermann has not been charged successful immoderate further investigations.

As for the different bodies recovered adjacent Gilgo Beach – Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Karen Vergata, "Peaches", the toddler girl, and the Asian antheral – nary of them person been linked to Heuermann.

Prosecutors: Suspect's feature swab matches pizza container DNA

DNA from Heuermann's cheek swab matches the DNA that authorities had antecedently collected from a pizza crust and utilized to nexus Heuermann to 1 of the victims, according to prosecutors during a Sept. 27, 2023 tribunal appearance. Heuermann's lawyer disputed the value of the DNA sample.

Jan. 16, 2024: Heuermann charged with 4th killing

Six months aft his arrest, Rex Heuermann was indicted successful the decease of a 4th alleged victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Investigators said they linked Brainard-Barnes' execution to Heuermann via DNA from a pistillate hairsbreadth recovered successful the buckle of a loop utilized to hindrance her ankles, feet and legs - 8 trillion to 1 that it matched Heuermann's woman Asa Ellerup oregon girl Victoria, who was tailed connected a commuter bid and threw retired an vigor drink, according to tribunal documents. Prosecutors made it wide they believed each hairsbreadth transportation were made from Heuermann to his alleged victims. The household was retired of municipality for the murders of the Gilgo Beach Four. Heuermann has pleaded not blameworthy to the murders.

June 6, 2024: Two much cases linked to Heuermann

Heuermann was charged with killing 2 much women 10 years isolated connected Long Island — the 1993 execution of Sandra Costilla and the 2003 execution of Jessica Taylor. Costilla's decease was not antecedently tied to the Gilgo case. The Suffolk County district attorney's bureau says DNA from hairsbreadth recovered adjacent Costilla and Taylor's remains and pick-up motortruck grounds link Heuermann to their killings. Heuermann has pleaded not blameworthy to each charges.

Dec. 17, 2024: Heuermann charged with 7th killing

Heuermann was charged with sidesplitting Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old from New Jersey who had been moving arsenic an escort successful the Philadelphia area, successful 2000. For years, she was known lone arsenic "Jane Doe #6." Her partial remains were recovered successful Manorville, Long Island, successful 2000, and much of her remains were recovered connected Gilgo Beach much than 10 years later.

April 8, 2026: Heuermann pleads guilty

Heuermann, 62, pleaded blameworthy to killing seven women between 1993 and 2011 and admitted helium killed an eighth. He said helium strangled each of them. He antecedently pleaded not guilty.

Heuermann was arrested successful 2023 successful the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. He was aboriginal charged with the murders of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, Jessica Taylor, and Valerie Mack. The justice says Heuermann pleaded blameworthy to 7 counts successful the indictment and admitted guilt successful the sidesplitting of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata.

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