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

[DS2021]

Sandra was long thought to be a bittlroff victim. This is major if true!

FRom 2014

Manorville Man Arrested for ’90s Murders Suspected in 3rd Cold Case

John Bittrolff was charged with the murders of Rita Tangredi-Beinlich and Colleen McNamee.

www.longislandpress.com

Homicide Squad detectives are also investigating whether Bittrolff killed a third woman, Sandra Costilla, 28, of Queens, whose cause of death resembles Tangredi’s and McNamee’s, authorities said. Costilla was found dead in North Sea on the South Fork on Nov. 20, 1993.

“The manner of death, the positioning of her body, and the trace evidence of Ms. Costilla is similar to that of Tangredi and McNamee,” Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota told reporters Tuesday during at a news conference at his Hauppauge office.

He did not say of Costilla also worked as a prostitute, but noted: “She had a lifestyle that may have been substantially similar.”

 

[Just K]

Someone posted a theory that LE was taking everything out of the house in order to do a deeper search. In the NY Post article, today there is a photo of what appears to be a white tractor trailer with a red cab. There is a second truck, referred to as a box truck, which was said to be for “evidence.” It would make sense, if on this 2nd search, LE went back looking for a secret area in the home and in order to uncover areas or an area such as this, they would move everything out and temporarily store it in the tractor trailer.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/052024-Day-4-Heuermann-13A.jpg?resize=1024,576&quality=75&strip=all

In the Daily Mail, another picture with the delineation re: the two types of trucks:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/0..._is_where_they_were_lo-a-91_1717424582096.jpg

 

[CuriousCricket]

Sandra was long thought to be a bittlroff victim. This is major if true!

Manorville Man Arrested for ’90s Murders Suspected in 3rd Cold Case

John Bittrolff was charged with the murders of Rita Tangredi-Beinlich and Colleen McNamee.

www.longislandpress.com

Since Bittroff still claim
s to be innocent, do you wonder how strong the evidence was against him?

 

[Kudzuu]

Someone posted a theory that LE was taking everything out of the house in order to do a deeper search. In the NY Post article, today there is a photo of what appears to be a white tractor trailer with a red cab. There is a second truck, referred to as a box truck, which was said to be for “evidence.” It would make sense, if on this 2nd search, LE went back looking for a secret area in the home and in order to uncover areas or an area such as this, they would move everything out and temporarily store it in the tractor trailer.

https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/052024-Day-4-Heuermann-13A.jpg?resize=1024,576&quality=75&strip=all

This is sounding very Gacyesque. I hope I'm wrong. MOO

 

[Just K]

Since Bittroff still claim
s to be innocent, do you wonder how strong the evidence was against him?

I’m still wondering if he and Rex met each other in their mutual experiences and endeavors. Did they ever met up, work together, hunt together or compete against one another? If this new charge is Sandra Costilla, it would sure warrant a collective “Hummm.”

 

[CuriousCricket]

I’m still wondering if he and Rex met each other in their mutual experiences and endeavors. Did they ever met up, work together, hunt together or compete against one another? If this new charge is Sandra Castillo, it would sure warrant a collective “Hummm.”

I suspect that two men with the same interests and in that small an area very likely would have crossed paths. However, you've just got to wonder how strong the evidence was against Bitteroff. I've never read about his cases. I was wondering about him the other day because he was trotted out with other serial killers for interviews when RH was first arrested. Dennis Rader of course preened and loved the attention. I did notice that Bitteroff seemed much more cautious. This is getting very interesting.

 

[NyxNY]

I suspect that two men with the same interests and in that small an area very likely would have crossed paths. However, you've just got to wonder how strong the evidence was against Bitteroff. I've never read about his cases. I was wondering about him the other day because he was trotted out with other serial killers for interviews when RH was first arrested. Dennis Rader of course preened and loved the attention. I did notice that Bitteroff seemed much more cautious. This is getting very interesting.

If I recall correctly, his (Bittrolff's) DNA was found on/in the two victims. I've always maintained that the evidence they had on Bittrolff only proved that he had sex with the victims. Whatever additional evidence they had (because I can't remember off the top of my head) IMO all it meant to me was that he was guilty of having sex with the victims, it didn't prove to me that he murdered them.

 

[CuriousCricket]

Since Bittroff still claim
s to be innocent, do you wonder how strong the evidence was against him?

Just answered my own question -- Bitterolff was convicted on DNA evidence. His attorney argued that proof of sex was not proof of murder.

 

[PickleChris]

I’m leaning more toward AE being the main hoarder, but it came with a benefit to RH - avoiding visitors of any kind except maybe the swinging crowd.

Shouldn’t he have a manly and orderly man-cabin out in the woods somewhere? Under another name?

I've always thought that LISK would have a spot that he doesn't live in close to the RM parkway entrance.

 

[Betty P]

I’d implore everyone to watch the 2010 “BluChip Marketing” series of interviews with then Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer on YouTube. Lots of insight and specific details that aren’t referenced much elsewhere, don’t have the time right now to figure out which episode it’s referenced, but police and FBI thought it was 1 killer from the very start (or at least that it was statistically improbable that 2 killers used that same area for a dump site, can’t remember the exact wording).

Dormer had mentioned back then that he thought it was the same killer for all the victims along Gilgo/Oak Beach.

Serial killers change MO over time due to familiarity and other factors, even external ones. Dismemberment often takes place because the killer needs to remove a victim's body from a home or other building to a vehicle or dump spot without attracting attention from others. If the killer finds a better way to move deceased victims without dismembering them, they'll change.

 

[Just K]

Just answered my own question -- Bitterolff was convicted on DNA evidence. His attorney argued that proof of sex was not proof of murder.

What if part of RH’s mo was to track his prey and sometimes deliberately kill them after they’d just been with another customer. That way the other person’s DNA would be found on the victim and if the previous customer had GPS or cellphone data that also placed him/her in the area where the bodies were discovered, that would make it easier to convict the last customer. Honestly, I could see RH doing this. We know that Rita Tangredi’ daughter was close friends with Melissa B and we know that the suspect made a habit of tracking and researching relatives and friends of Melissa Barthelemy. Her BF and her family both got calls from the killer.

Do we know if Rita’s daughter was the reason Melissa got into the $ex industry? If so, RH might have tracked the friends and relatives of his earliest victims, too. Ex: Rita, her daughter, her daughter’s friend, Melissa and then her little sister and her BF/Pimp.

 

[Ursamajr]

So who do we think realized there was another active serial killer operating on LI first? Who used the others dumping ground to cover their own tracks and/or muddy the waters which ended up confusing James Burke's Keystone Suffolk County cops? What luck for both Heuermann and Bitrolff on that one! Unless...

 

[Ursamajr]

What if part of RH’s mo was to track his prey and sometimes deliberately kill them after they’d just been with another customer. (snip!)

I was just thinking this myself. There has been talk about those Long Island Back Pages websites/message boards where men would leave Yelp type reviews for sex workers. What if both Heuermann and Bitrolff perused those sites...

I'm not the biggest fan of wild conjecture and theres enough of that to be done on other websites but I can't help but think this might be one of those cases where the actual story is more convoluted than most minds can come up with and stranger than fiction.

 

[Ursamajr]

I've always thought that LISK would have a spot that he doesn't live in close to the RM parkway entrance.

Can we talk about Bedell Street? Are we allowed? I'm desperately looking for MSM confirmation on that address.

 

[Gemmie]

Can we talk about Bedell Street? Are we allowed? I'm desperately looking for MSM confirmation on that address.

I found 1 mention of it in "MSM" but didn't spend a lot of time looking. I put MSM between double quotes because it is The Sun which is more of a tabloid IMO

While Heuermann has lived in his childhood home in Massapequa Park for the vast majority of his life, in the summer of 1989, he was working for Greer Construction Company and living in Freeport on Bedell Street, records show.

Heuermann's residence would've been just a few minutes' drive from where Vargas' body was found along Meadowbrook Parkway.

Additionally, Freeport is just two towns over from Massapequa Park, and Meadowbrook Parkway leads directly to Ocean Parkway, where the Gilgo Four were found.

Gilgo suspect probed for another murder as victim's niece shares eerie feeling

DETECTIVES are investigating accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann in connection to the unsolved murder of a woman found bound at the side of a Long Island highway 34 years ago, following a desp…

www.the-sun.com

 

[snooptroop88]

Josh Zeman was speculating beforehand on YouTube show about the Manorville search and recent search of RH's home and what would happen. He said he's heard a rumor that RH was going to be charged with another victim, and he's heard that victim's Jessica Taylor. He emphasized this is what he's heard (so not fact). But now we do have the stories about this fifth indictment.

I believe Jessica Taylor is the last victim dismembered. My guess (only a guess) is that if the indictment does indeed relate to Jessica Taylor, they found something that tracked right to Taylor in information held in those 422 recovered devices. And when they searched the home, they were searching for ties to Jessica, maybe jewelry, anything. I'm still wondering, though, about that strongbox they found (allegedly) in Manorville and if that ties in in some important way.

 

[Ursamajr]

I found 1 mention of it in "MSM" but didn't spend a lot of time looking. I put MSM between double quotes because it is The Sun which is more of a tabloid IMO

While Heuermann has lived in his childhood home in Massapequa Park for the vast majority of his life, in the summer of 1989, he was working for Greer Construction Company and living in Freeport on Bedell Street, records show.

Heuermann's residence would've been just a few minutes' drive from where Vargas' body was found along Meadowbrook Parkway.

Additionally, Freeport is just two towns over from Massapequa Park, and Meadowbrook Parkway leads directly to Ocean Parkway, where the Gilgo Four were found.

Gilgo suspect probed for another murder as victim's niece shares eerie feeling

DETECTIVES are investigating accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann in connection to the unsolved murder of a woman found bound at the side of a Long Island highway 34 years ago, following a desp…

www.the-sun.com

Awesome! Thank you for this. I wonder if theres any chance he kept that apartment, for reasons, past 1989 if he indeed did live there at least at that time. On google maps I see at least 5 mailboxes on the house. It is extremely close to boat ramps, the bay, and that entrance near the parkway that @PickleChris mentioned.

 

[Ursamajr]

(snipped by me) I'm still wondering, though, about that strongbox they found (allegedly) in Manorville and if that ties in in some important way.

Is it confirmed that they found a strongbox? I recall reports saying that there was a box on the back of a truck that investigators were taking items out of but it wasn't clear if the box was brought to the scene or recovered at the scene. I assumed it was a sort of evidence collection kit that LE were getting gloves/bags/equiptment from.

 

[snooptroop88]

Is it confirmed that they found a strongbox? I recall reports saying that there was a box on the back of a truck that investigators were taking items out of but it wasn't clear if the box was brought to the scene or recovered at the scene. I assumed it was a sort of evidence collection kit that LE were getting gloves/bags/equiptment from.

Understood, they had something that looked like a foot locker near that house, I saw it too, and know just what you're talking about. Did it look kind of like a foot locker? Because if so, I saw it as well. From Newsday article (behind paywall, which I can't get into) it said that LE removed several items from a "lock box" on the truck.

There's also been talk of a strongbox/lockbox/box of some kind they found in Manorville.

From Joseph Giacalone/X: "From 2 different reliable sources, there was some sort of lock box found during the search in Manorville,"

I think RH had a kill station set up in the woods, but jmo, and may well be wrong. Are there two boxes here involved in what we're discussing or is it the same box? Don't know yet.

 

[Ursamajr]

Understood, they had something that looked like a foot locker near that house, I saw it too, and know just what you're talking about. Did it look kind of like a foot locker? Because if so, I saw it as well. From Newsday article (behind paywall, which I can't get into) it said that LE removed several items from a "lock box" on the truck.

There's also been talk of a strongbox/lockbox/box of some kind they found in Manorville.

From Joseph Giacalone/X: "From 2 different reliable sources, there was some sort of lock box found during the search in Manorville,"

I think RH had a kill station set up in the woods, but jmo, and may well be wrong. Are there two boxes here involved in what we're discussing or is it the same box? Don't know yet.

I would not be surprised in the least if he had a kill kit somewhere out there. Hopefully thats what they found - it would be a fantastic piece of evidence for the State.