Gilgo Beach LISK Serial Killer, Rex Heuermann, charged with 3 murders, July 2023

[GoBuckeyes]

*Did anyone find a thread for the unidentified remains found on Thursday in West Long Island?

The driver was heading eastbound on the Southern State Parkway, got off at Exit 40 to get on the Robert Moses Causeway southbound, and then pulled off onto the grass on the west side of the ramp when the discovery was made near the woods at about 7:15 a.m., police said.

“Something in the wood line caught his eye upon closer look, the individual believed it to be human skeletal remains and called 911,” Capt. Christopher Casale told reporters during a briefing at the scene.

Unidentified Human Skeletal Remains Found Off Parkway Ramp

A passerby discovered unidentified human skeletal remains on the side of a parkway exit ramp embankment in West Islip early Thursday morning, police said.

www.longislandpress.com

While reading that article, I came across. LI coroners request help in solving 38 unidentified persons.

 

[Mirabel091]

There were a few quotes with neighbors in some of the posted articles stating that they would see his step son often and that the wife was very quiet so I do believe they were living there at some point at least. Imo

So, I'm assuming the kids would have gone with his wife when she was out of town? He wouldn't have brought women back if they were in the house... Would he?!

 

[acutename]

One woman still had a voicemail from the alleged serial killer - the message was obtained exclusively by Eyewitness News.

"I assumed he just wanted to do some work together, but he always made me a little bit uncomfortable," said Dominique Vidal….

Vidal is now recalling some of their - now chilling - past conversations.

"He asked me if I knew about the Gilgo Beach murders. And back then I will say 'Oh you know, he's just from the area, maybe you know, he's just a local talking about and would think that I'd find it interesting.' But now I see it as a serial killer," Vidal said.

Woman shares chilling voicemail left by Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann

One woman still had a voicemail from the alleged serial killer - the message was obtained exclusively by Eyewitness News.

abc7ny.com

people from Long Island would talk about these murders and that would not be so odd, but I can also see how everyone who knew this man is now re-hashing every conversation they ever had with him. IMO. curious about the timing of these crimes. since the house is from his parents' days, it could have a lot of old things in it, IMO.

 

[katikaboom]

Hopefully the doll hasn't real human hair ...

Btw, I noticed, that the victims have different hair colours. It seems, the colour wasn't important to their killer.

Or the photos we've seen of the victims don't represent the color of hair they had when they died. My friends and I frequently dyed our hair when I was that age, and would do it on a whim.

Regardless, I do think he had a preference for red heads

 

[katikaboom]

*Did anyone find a thread for the unidentified remains found on Thursday in West Long Island?

The driver was heading eastbound on the Southern State Parkway, got off at Exit 40 to get on the Robert Moses Causeway southbound, and then pulled off onto the grass on the west side of the ramp when the discovery was made near the woods at about 7:15 a.m., police said.

“Something in the wood line caught his eye upon closer look, the individual believed it to be human skeletal remains and called 911,” Capt. Christopher Casale told reporters during a briefing at the scene.

Unidentified Human Skeletal Remains Found Off Parkway Ramp

A passerby discovered unidentified human skeletal remains on the side of a parkway exit ramp embankment in West Islip early Thursday morning, police said.

www.longislandpress.com

* edited: I found the thread. I’ll copy this over. Thanks @Richrd. Appreciate you.

Identified! - NY - Skeletonized - Southern State Parkway, Exit 40 - West Islip, Long Island - 13 July 2023 - Isaiah Henriquez

This is so odd… seems unlikely he would just disappear… https://patch.com/new-york/babylonvillage/amp/31316177/distraught-family-of-missing-west-babylon-man-pleads-for-his-return

www.websleuths.com

Is this close to the park where he was following the woman 2 weeks ago? She said he was coming in and out of the woods/trees.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*I’m curious whether any of these searches were developing into some similar path or pattern Heuermann had used in the past:

Further investigation found that the architect had over 200 Google searches regarding the Gilgo murders, which Tierney said led to the investigation being held in secret to not alert the defendant.

“In addition to those Gilgo search, he also impulsively searching pictures of the victims, but not only pictures of the victims, pictures of their relatives, their sisters, their children, and he was trying to locate those individuals,” he said.

Heuermann also had torture pornography and depictions of sexual assault in his search history, according to authorities. Tierney said the architect was also still seeking the services of sex workers, which made investigators nervous.

Woman who resided in Clearwater among victims of accused Long Island serial killer

Almost 13 years ago, police in Long Island made a series of disturbing discoveries after the remains of 11 people were found along a beach highway.

www.wfla.com

 

[Sjöberg]

Or the photos we've seen of the victims don't represent the color of hair they had when they died.

Yes, some victims I have seen photos of with different hair colour (for example Valerie/Melissa). Would be lovely to see a list of all identified victims with their height, weight and hair colour at the time of reported missing. It is of course possible that there is a lack of detailed info about some.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

So, I'm assuming the kids would have gone with his wife when she was out of town? He wouldn't have brought women back if they were in the house... Would he?!

No. But it's entirely possible that he didn't take the girls back to his house. Many people assume that his victims must have screamed and someone would have heard. That's not necessarily true. We know that Heuemann strangled the 4 Gilgo victims. Screaming is nearly impossible in that scenario. We also know that all 4 of the victims were known drug users, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he drugged them first. We also know that Melissa Barthelemy's phone was traced to two hotels in Massapequa on the night of her murder...a Budget Inn and The Best Western.

By LIZ ROBBINS, New York Times
Published: January 26, 2011

Cellphone records for Ms. Barthelemy traced the calls, which were to her voicemail, to two motels near Massapequa, the Budget Inn and the Best Western , according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.



Now, there's nothing to say that Melissa herself was at these hotel rooms, but her phone certainly was. So it's not beyond the realm of possibility that some of these girls COULD have been taken to motel rooms and murdered there.

All JMO

 

[Sjöberg]

On thing that sleuths could IMO re-focus on, is possible identifications of the still-unidentified victims. It will hopefully come down to genetic genealogy in the end and they will have their names back anyways. But it would still be useful to look at their profiles once more and re-scan for possible clues or matches - I'm sure the police will be all over it, too, but atm it is possible they prioritize their resources towards convictions in the cases of the 3-4 victims they have most damning evidence on. They might or might not have the same killer - but finding out who they are will also help with identifying their killer.

Fire Island Jane Doe - estimated death 1996 (Namus)
Peaches - death in 1997 (Namus) and her toddler (Namus)*
Gilgo Beach Asian Doe - estimated death 2000-2007 (Namus)
Cherries - death in 2007 (Namus)
Nassau county Jane doe - found January 2013, death time unknown(?) (Namus)

* The FBI has publicly asked for relatives of an Alabama man named Elijah "Lige" Howell or Howard (1927-1963) to come forward as they may recognize this victim and her child. Lige lived with his wife Carrie in Prichard, Alabama

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Yes, some victims I have seen photos of with different hair colour (for example Valerie/Melissa). Would be lovely to see a list of all identified victims with their height, weight and hair colour at the time of reported missing. It is of course possible that there is a lack of detailed info about some.

One thing that constantly irritates me is when I hear posters, reporters and even some law enforcement say that ALL of the victims were under 5' tall. It's not true. Megan Waterman was 5' 5". Petite, yes.., but not remarkably short.

ETA: I'm a stickler for details. I guess a lot of things bug me surrounding this case.

 

[FromGermany1]

A new look at an old clue helps investigators arrest the man accused of Gilgo Beach murders

Investigators say a new look at an old clue was the key to finding the man now charged...

www.mysanantonio.com

As the toll of victims grew and the search expanded, police used horses to reach the remote area, climbed firefighters’ ladders to see over poison ivy-infested thickets, scoured parking ticket records and got aerial surveillance photos from the FBI. Over the years, reward money was offered, FBI experts profiled the killer and evolving DNA techniques were used.
-.-.-

His wife, he testified, dropped him off at a nearby train station in the mornings.
Neighbors puzzled at the rundown home with the overgrown shrubs in their tidy midst, and at the contrast between the house and the businessman who set off from it each weekday with suit and briefcase.
(When he got arrested though, there was no suit and no briefcase; he looked like an -old- student with his dangling messenger bag, IMO.)

 

[Sjöberg]

One thing that constantly bugs me is when I hear posters, reporters and even some law enforcement say that ALL of the victims were under 5' tall. It's not true. Megan Waterman was 5' 5". Petite, yes.., but not remarkably short.

ETA: I'm a stickler for details. I guess a lot of things bug me surrounding this case.

Especially as the tiny size of these women might be a consequence of the lives they had. So if he targeted sex workers (either because they were sex workers or because they were easier to get or less likely to be reported missing etc), the small size of the victims might be just a statistical consequence of that, not a preference in its own.

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Source for the info on Elijah "Lige" Howell/ Howard

Family of Alabama man who died in 1963 may have info on New York serial killer victims: FBI

The FBI called on family and friends of Elijah "Lige" Howell/Howard, who died in Mobile in 1963, to come forward because they may help the with the remains of a woman and child believed to be victims of the Gilgo Beach serial killer.

www.al.com

 

[JerseyGirl]

On thing that sleuths could IMO re-focus on, is possible identifications of the still-unidentified victims. It will hopefully come down to genetic genealogy in the end and they will have their names back anyways. But it would still be useful to look at their profiles once more and re-scan for possible clues or matches - I'm sure the police will be all over it, too, but atm it is possible they prioritize their resources towards convictions in the cases of the 3-4 victims they have most damning evidence on. They might or might not have the same killer - but finding out who they are will also help with identifying their killer.

Fire Island Jane Doe - estimated death 1996 (Namus)
Peaches - death in 1997 (Namus) and her toddler (Namus)*
Gilgo Beach Asian Doe - estimated death 2000-2007 (Namus)
Cherries - death in 2007 (Namus)
Nassau county Jane doe - found January 2013, death time unknown(?) (Namus)

* The FBI has publicly asked for relatives of an Alabama man named Elijah "Lige" Howell or Howard (1927-1963) to come forward as they may recognize this victim and her child. Lige lived with his wife Carrie in Prichard, Alabama

Possible Victim: Fire Island Jane Doe, UP9098, found Davis Park Apr 1996 & Ocean Parkway Apr 2011 - Karen Vergata

Fire Island Jane Doe Namus UP #9098 20 April 1996 "The decedents left and right legs were recovered on April 20, 1996 at Blue Point Beach in the vicinity of Davis Park, Suffolk County NY." (CBS New York) People walking along Blue Point Beach on Fire Island in the vicinity of Davis Park...

www.websleuths.com

Victim "Peaches" IDd as Tanya Denise Jackson, and toddler IDd as Tatiana Marie Dykes, found Hempstead Lake State Park, June 1997 #4

l to r: 2 inch peach/heart tattoo on left breast; Rubbermaid container held torso of black female; floral pillowcase and red towel also found inside container Hempstead Lake State Pk, Lakeview Nassau County, NY 28 June 1997 West side of Lakeside Drive, 200 yards north of Peninsula Boulevard...

www.websleuths.com

UID Victim: The Female Toddler, UP9704, found Gilgo Beach Apr 2011

No sketch available Namus UP #9704 https://identifyus.org/en/cases/9704 Ocean Parkway Gilgo Beach Nassau County, NY 4 April, 2011 "The unidentified child, found wrapped in a blanket is between 16 and 32 months of age and is related to one of the victims found near Jones Beach in Nassau County...

www.websleuths.com

UID Victim: The Asian Male, UP9355, John Doe #8, poss. died 1996-2001, found Gilgo Beach Apr 2011

The Asian Male Namus UP #9355 Ocean Parkway Gilgo Beach Nassau County, NY 4 April 2011 Skeletal remains of an Asian Male were recovered in the vicinity of Ocean Pkwy, Gilgo Beach, NY. The remains are estimated to have been there more than 5 yrs. "The male victim was 5-feet-6-inches and was...

www.websleuths.com

UID Victim: "Cherries", Mamaroneck, Blk/Hisp, 605UFNY, found Mar 2007

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,256600,00.html Police hope a cherry tattoo will help identify a woman whose torso was found on a New York beach. A beachcomber found the dismembered body part in a suitcase at Harbor Island Beach in suburban New York City on Saturday, the Journal News...

www.websleuths.com

UID VICTIM: NY - Lattingtown, AsianFem 20-50, UP10952, golden pig pendant, Jan'13

24k gold pig pendant and chain Long Island North Shore Lattingtown Nassau County, NY 23 January 2013 "A woman walking her dog near Sheep Lane found the skeletal remains that police said are likely that of a female between the ages of 20 and 30. The dog sniffed the sand and proceeded to dig...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Mountain_Kat]

Especially as the tiny size of these women might be a consequence of the lives they had. So if he targeted sex workers (either because they were sex workers or because they were easier to get or less likely to be reported missing etc), the small size of the victims might be just a statistical consequence of that, not a preference in its own.

I personally do think he had a type, and that included very petite women. But it's also possible that his urge to kill might allow for slight exceptions if the perfect victim wasn't available to him.

JMO

 

[Deleted member 117884]

Agreed. Yet he must have some natural hair, hence the DNA evidence cited on pages 30 and 31 of the bail document.

We don't know where on his body the found hair came from. It's not necessarily from his bald head.

(I don't know if he is actually bald, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised.)

jmo

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Tall and heavyset, Heuermann towered over the law enforcement officers who now surrounded him. As passersby strolled leisurely along the avenue, he was taken into custody without incident in connection with a 13-year homicide investigation involving young female victims on the South Shore of Long Island.

“Yes, the day has finally come when someone so … depraved of heart who would kill individuals, innocent individuals in the prime of their lives, their young lives, is finally brought to justice,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday. “We are hoping that this will bring justice to this individual but also peace to the families.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/16/us/rex-heuermann-gilgo-beach-murders-capture/index.html

 

[Ann99]

We don't know where on his body the found hair came from. It's not necessarily from his bald head.

(I don't know if he is actually bald, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised.)

jmo

That’s right. Plus, 12 years ago, he may have had more hair on his head, elsewhere !

 

[FromGermany1]

No. But it's entirely possible that he didn't take the girls back to his house. Many people assume that his victims must have screamed and someone would have heard. That's not necessarily true. We know that Heuemann strangled the 4 Gilgo victims. Screaming is nearly impossible in that scenario. We also know that all 4 of the victims were known drug users, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he drugged them first. We also know that Melissa Barthelemy's phone was traced to two hotels in Massapequa on the night of her murder...a Budget Inn and The Best Western.

By LIZ ROBBINS, New York Times
Published: January 26, 2011

Cellphone records for Ms. Barthelemy traced the calls, which were to her voicemail, to two motels near Massapequa, the Budget Inn and the Best Western , according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.



Now, there's nothing to say that Melissa herself was at these hotel rooms, but her phone certainly was. So it's not beyond the realm of possibility that some of these girls COULD have been taken to motel rooms and murdered there.

All JMO

I wonder, if it is really possible for a person (RH) to have a long hair from another person (wife) on him, which by chance falls on a victim just then, when the victim gets tied up. AND it even happened with 3 hairs (plus one from himself, afaik) on two or three victims. I can rather imagine, he was at his home with each victim, where the hairs were scattered (maybe on the bathroom floor if not the bed) and didn't have to be transferred by him.

 

[justagirlfromqueens]

Is anyone else creeped out by how close Rex Heuermann (born 1964), Joel Rifkin (born 1959) and Joseph Shulman (born 1954) lived to each other and were pretty close in age? All killed SWs. What's in the water in that part of LI?

Joseph Shulman address 11 Glow Lane Hicksville
Joel Rifkin address 1492 Garden Street East Meadow
Rex Heuermann address 501 1st avenue Massapequa Park