(NewsNation) — Gilgo Beach killings suspect Rex Heuermann has been charged in the death of a seventh woman, Valerie Mack.
Mack disappeared in the spring or summer of 2000. Her torso was found in Manorville, New York, in 2000 and her head, hands and one foot were found near Gilgo Beach in 2011. She was identified in May 2020 through forensic genealogy.
In court, Heuermann denied guilt on all charges. The next planned hearing will be on the admissibility of certain scientific evidence and is expected to be set for late February or early March.
Heuermann was previously charged with killing six women whose remains were found on Long Island. He’s pleaded not guilty.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office held a news conference Tuesday morning following Heuerman’s court appearance with families of the victims in attendance.
Prosecutors said they have continued to work not just the cases Heuermann has been charged with but other uncharged cases and cold cases that could possibly be connected to Heuermann.
Prosecutors said Mack was linked to Heuermann by a hair found on her remains which contained mitochondrial DNA that is consistent with Asa Ellerup, Heuermann’s ex-wife, and their daughter.
Information in court filings also suggested that Mack may have been killed at the Heuermann home.
Investigators are still looking into the deaths of several other people whose remains were discovered in the area.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents the family members of several victims, spoke after prosecutors, sharing support for Valerie Mack’s family.
Family members of Melissa Barthelemy, Jessica Taylor, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Megan Waterman presented Valerie Mack’s parents with roses in honor of their daughter.
Rex Heuermann could be a suspect in other homicides
District Attorney Ray Tierney has previously indicated that Heuermann is a suspect in the death of Valerie Mack, whose remains were found in 2000.
In addition to Mack, prosecutors are also looking into the death of Karen Vergata, whose remains were first discovered in 1996 and finally identified in 2022 after a new DNA analysis.
In September, authorities released new renderings of an unidentified victim who was found in 2011. Officials said the victim, who for years they had identified as male, may have presented outwardly as female and died in 2006.
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Seven identified Gilgo Beach victims. -
FILE PHOTO: Maureen Brainard-Barnes (top L), Melissa Barthelemy (top R), Megan Waterman (bottom L) and Amber Lynn Costello (bottom R) are seen in a combination of handouts released to Reuters by Suffolk County Police Department April 6, 2011. Four bodies found dumped on a remote Long Island beach were officially identified as prostitutes who were likely slain by a serial killer, police said. The women were killed at another location and their bodies were transported to Gilgo Beach, about 64 km (40 miles) east of New York City, Suffolk county, New York police said. The bodies were discovered in early December. “All of the women were escorts, who were self-employed and used Craig’s List and other sites to arrange meetings with clients,” said a police spokesperson, reading from a statement issued by Police Commissioner Richard Dormer. REUTERS/Suffolk County Police Department/Handout (UNITED STATES – Tags: CRIME LAW SOCIETY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS/File Photo -
The identity of a seventh Gilgo Beach victim has been confirmed as Karen Vergata by the Suffolk Country district attorney. (Credit: Suffolk County District Attorny’s office via NewsNation) -
This combination of undated images provided by the Suffolk County Police Department shows Melissa Barthelemy, top left, Amber Costello, top right, Megan Waterman, bottom left, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Authorities on Long Island are vowing to continue investigating a string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders after charging an architect in the deaths of three of the 11 victims. Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Barthelemy, Costello and Waterman over a decade ago. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of Brainard-Barnes. (Suffolk County Police Department via AP) -
This undated image provided by the Suffolk County Police Department shows Melissa Barthelemy. Authorities on Long Island are vowing to continue investigating a string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders after charging an architect in the deaths of three of the 11 victims. Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello over a decade ago. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of another woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. (Suffolk County Police Department via AP) -
This booking image provided by Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office shows Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders. (Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office via AP0 -
FILE – Rex Heuermann appears next to his attorney Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court, April 17, 2024, in Riverhead, N.Y. Prosecutors are planning a major announcement in the Gilgo Beach serial killings as Heuermann, the prime suspect in the case, is set to appear in criminal court Thursday, June 6, on Long Island. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, File) -
Rex Heuermann, center, charged in the Gilgo Beach serial killings on Long Island, enters the courtrrom for a hearing at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., Thursday, June. 6, 2024. Heuermann was charged Thursday in the deaths of two more, after prosecutors said they gathered new DNA evidence and found a computer document he had used to “blueprint” his crimes. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool)
This will be Heuermann’s first court appearance since October.
The government has frozen assets from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as part of a separate investigation involving the previous administration. The probe into a former district attorney has tied up an estimated $13 million and significantly slowed the movement of Heuermann’s case, court officials said.
Background of Gilgo Beach investigation
Heuermann is charged with murder in connection with the deaths of seven women: Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla and Valerie Mack. He was initially charged with murder in the deaths of the first four women, and prosecutors later charged him in the deaths of Taylor and Costilla.
He was charged with killing Mack in December of 2024.
Police spent the past 14 years investigating the deaths of at least 10 people — most of whom were sex workers — whose remains were discovered along an isolated highway near Gilgo Beach on Long Island.
Heuermann lived across the bay from where officials discovered the bodies. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in June.
He was initially charged in the deaths of three women in 2023 and was subsequently charged in three more earlier this year. In a court filing for the most recent charges, prosecutors said they had recovered a file on a hard drive in Heuermann’s basement that he used to “methodically blueprint” his killings — including checklists with tasks to tick off before, during and afterward, as well as lessons for “next time.”
Where does Rex Heuermann’s case stand now?
The district attorney’s office has turned over 99.9% of the electronic data extracted from the 400 devices investigators recovered from Heuermann’s home — about 120 terabytes of information.
Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, said he plans to seek separate trials for the fifth and sixth victims. Brown also announced plans to ask for a change of venue, joking that “Mars” is the only place the case might receive a fair trial because of extensive news media coverage.
The Associated Press and NewsNation’s Katie Smith contributed to this report.
