Gilgo Beach LISK Serial Killer, Rex Heuermann, charged with 4 murders, July 2023 #10

[Izzylizzy]

I vacillate on this. It's possible, but, unless someone is a really poor house-keeper who never vacuums or sweeps or cleans things, it seems unusual for their hair to be left on 3 of 4 victims' bodies.

"A hair found with Brainard-Barnes’ remains is genetically similar to a DNA sample taken from Heuermann’s ex-wife."

Article was from before Rex arrest for 4th murder.

To recap:
"According to the court filing, on or about June 12, 2023, the forensic lab compared the mitochondrial DNA from the pizza and the hair and determined that the "DNA profile(s) are the same" — specifically that 99.96% of the North American population would be excluded as matches to the hair.

"It is significant that (Heuermann) cannot be excluded from the male hair recovered near the 'bottom of the burlap' utilized to restrain and transport Megan Waterman's naked and deceased body," prosecutors wrote.

Retesting hair samples​

Authorities recovered hairs found with each of the victims, which were too degraded to test for DNA with the techniques available at that time. But the technology improved, Tierney said, and investigators were able to test the hairs with more advanced methods.

In July 2022, 11 bottles were collected from a trash can outside of the Heuermann home and sent for mitochondrial DNA testing. DNA profiles generated from the bottles were tested against previously tested hair samples recovered on the remains of Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. Results found that Heuermann's wife could not be excluded from either of the female hairs recovered on the remains of Waterman and Costello. The hair was believed to have been transferred from her husband's clothing. Heuermann's wife was out-of-state at the time of each of the murders, according to the court filing. She has not been charged.'

"Avalanche" of evidence: How a Chevy, a strand of hair and a pizza box led police to the Gilgo Beach suspect

Investigators re-examined old clues that led to the suspect and developed new evidence to close in on him after so many years, say prosecutors.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Ruminations]

I vacillate on this. It's possible, but, unless someone is a really poor house-keeper who never vacuums or sweeps or cleans things, it seems unusual for their hair to be left on 3 of 4 victims' bodies.

Well, housekeeping wasn't their thing, and I admit that as a participant in this thread who is a little tired of posts about the state of the house from the "our poor neighborhood," people.

(Of course, they are not nearly as bad as the posts about the state of the house from the families' attorneys. My poor clients were inconvenienced by their house being stirred up in the efforts to investigate multiple murders! Thank goodness that BS is quiet. I hope I didn't jinx it.)

The point is, it could have been a high- hair house and car. The hairs could have managed to be transferred to more than one victim and from more than one HH member, especially if it is true that the victims were placed there from another location at the same time. I see it as plausible that there could be a way the suspect transferred the hairs and family members who grow that hair would not be aware.

But it gets harder to turn to that theory when one of the persons who grows the hair publicly says things like, "not capable." If it were me, learning that my hair and another HH member's hair were found at muliple crime scenes, and I lived with the suspect, I'd be slowing the roll on the "not capable," talk. I'd start questioning my past.

4 HH hairs on three different people kinda put the idea that she was riding with the window open on a beach day, and her hair entangled itself on items wrapping corpses wildly unlikely. I don't see a lot of doubt to offer the benefit of to the suspect. The hair got there somehow...and if it's transfer, just how could that happen? Who could transfer it?

MOO

 

[Betty P]

Well, housekeeping wasn't their thing, and I admit that as a participant in this thread who is a little tired of posts about the state of the house from the "our poor neighborhood," people.

(Of course, they are not nearly as bad as the posts about the state of the house from the families' attorneys. My poor clients were inconvenienced by their house being stirred up in the efforts to investigate multiple murders! Thank goodness that BS is quiet. I hope I didn't jinx it.)

The point is, it could have been a high- hair house and car. The hairs could have managed to be transferred to more than one victim and from more than one HH member, especially if it is true that the victims were placed there from another location at the same time. I see it as plausible that there could be a way the suspect transferred the hairs and family members who grow that hair would not be aware.

But it gets harder to turn to that theory when one of the persons who grows the hair publicly says things like, "not capable." To me, learning that my hair and another HH member's hair were found at the crime scene, and I lived with the suspect, I'd be slowing the roll on the "not capable," talk.

4 HH hairs on three different people kinda put the idea that she was riding with the window open on a beach day, and her hair entangled itself on items wrapping corpses wildly unlikely. I don't see a lot of doubt to offer the benefit of to the suspect there.

MOO

Yes, hair on the interior car surfaces is a good possibility. Makes sense. Their house probably was messy, too. I also keep thinking about what John Ray said about speculating a woman was involved, if not in the murder, in preparing the remains to be disposed of. I'm pretty sure it was JR who said the anonymous child of the victim was carefully wrapped in a blanket. He thought that sounded like something a woman would do.

Gilgo Beach murders suspect 'had a FEMALE accomplice' claims attorney

John Ray, an attorney who represents two of the 11 victims, said on Monday that the chief suspect in the murder of all 11 likely had a female accomplice. Rex Heuermann has been charged with three.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Gilgo Beach murders: Complete timeline of events leading up to Rex Heuermann's arrest

Since 1996, sinister discoveries have been made on Long Island. Could Heuermann's arrest be the beginning of the end of a decades-long mystery?

abc7ny.com

 

[Izzylizzy]

Well, housekeeping wasn't their thing, and I admit that as a participant in this thread who is a little tired of posts about the state of the house from the "our poor neighborhood," people.

(Of course, they are not nearly as bad as the posts about the state of the house from the families' attorneys. My poor clients were inconvenienced by their house being stirred up in the efforts to investigate multiple murders! Thank goodness that BS is quiet. I hope I didn't jinx it.)

The point is, it could have been a high- hair house and car. The hairs could have managed to be transferred to more than one victim and from more than one HH member, especially if it is true that the victims were placed there from another location at the same time. I see it as plausible that there could be a way the suspect transferred the hairs and family members who grow that hair would not be aware.

But it gets harder to turn to that theory when one of the persons who grows the hair publicly says things like, "not capable." If it were me, learning that my hair and another HH member's hair were found at muliple crime scenes, and I lived with the suspect, I'd be slowing the roll on the "not capable," talk. I'd start questioning my past.

4 HH hairs on three different people kinda put the idea that she was riding with the window open on a beach day, and her hair entangled itself on items wrapping corpses wildly unlikely. I don't see a lot of doubt to offer the benefit of to the suspect. The hair got there somehow...and if it's transfer, just how could that happen? Who could transfer it?

MOO

According to Asa's lawyer Macedonio, it would be "more than likely" that it was Rex who transferred the hair.
I assume he wasn't referring to his client.
No "benefit of the doubt" there from Bob or Rex "not capable", eh?

IMO: Asa conviently ignored this incriminating doozie coming from her lawyer.



"11/30/23
"Her DNA has been confirmed as matching hairs found on the burlap that victims were wrapped in, a law enforcement source told ABC.

Ellerup’s lawyer, Robert Macedonio, told The Post Thursday that her DNA being found on the scene is “nothing new” and that it was more than likely from a “hair transfer inside the house.”

Suspect Rex Heuermann’s estranged wife’s cheek swab matches DNA found on victims: report

A cheek swab was taken from Asa Ellerup on the night her husband was arrested. That sample now matches the DNA found on hair strands on the victims.

nypost.com

 

[Betty P]

"11/30/23
"Her DNA has been confirmed as matching hairs found on the burlap that victims were wrapped in, a law enforcement source told ABC.

Ellerup’s lawyer, Robert Macedonio, told The Post Thursday that her DNA being found on the scene is “nothing new” and that it was more than likely from a “hair transfer inside the house.”

It would be interesting to know her response to that, considering she claims he's not capable of killing those women. Such a bizarre case, with the killer's wife having her own team of attorneys and her hair on the bodies of the victims. Never seen one like this before.

 

[Izzylizzy]

It would be interesting to know her response to that, considering she claims he's not capable of killing those women. Such a bizarre case, with the killer's wife having her own team of attorneys and her hair on the bodies of the victims. Never seen one like this before.

IMO:
Hopefully LE has come to the same conclusion and is going back to square one and taking a long close look at her with different eyes.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Yes, hair on the interior car surfaces is a good possibility. Makes sense. Their house probably was messy, too. I also keep thinking about what John Ray said about speculating a woman was involved, if not in the murder, in preparing the remains to be disposed of. I'm pretty sure it was JR who said the anonymous child of the victim was carefully wrapped in a blanket. He thought that sounded like something a woman would do.

Gilgo Beach murders suspect 'had a FEMALE accomplice' claims attorney

John Ray, an attorney who represents two of the 11 victims, said on Monday that the chief suspect in the murder of all 11 likely had a female accomplice. Rex Heuermann has been charged with three.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Gilgo Beach murders: Complete timeline of events leading up to Rex Heuermann's arrest

Since 1996, sinister discoveries have been made on Long Island. Could Heuermann's arrest be the beginning of the end of a decades-long mystery?

abc7ny.com

Hope LE checked the Heuermann's linen closet and pillow case patterns.
Peaches was also found with a pillow case that LE posted an image of.
There could be a pillow case that matches it somewhere and lotsa houses, including mine have a few old forgotten pillow cases in the back of linen closet

 

[snooptroop88]

.."Harrison told CNN on Monday he was informed that once authorities told Ellerup and her daughter about the crimes Heuermann is accused of, the two were “shocked, they were disgusted, they were embarrassed.”

Their reaction, he said, is why he believes they were not aware of what he was doing.

“But, time will tell,” he added. “And once again, there are still a lot more questions that need to be done to the family and friends.”

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/us/gilgo-beach-killings-supect-rex-heuermann-wife-asa-ellerup/index.html

Yeppers, I remember seeing him once qualify that she was not a suspect, and he said there was no evidence at the time to support that. That's definitely different from "yeah, she's not one."

Agreed. It gets more concerning by the day. Agreed with the out of the frying pan into the fire with Macedonio, too.

The thing is, it's just incredibly unusual to have a husband-wife "team" that would actually be doing this. It's unfortunately not impossible, though, or unprecedented. So yeah, it's a real worry. And especially now with all these "handlers" she has-- why don't they "handle"?? She is projecting an image that's worse than ever. People are going to start fearing the reality of the situation is finally asserting itself.

I would "hope" there's no AE "involvement." But hoping's not getting. And based on what she's already done, I mean, that's bad enough to trigger some disgust regardless of actual "involvement." It's a callused, nasty, calculated response in itself. And just checked, from Newsday: "Harrison and Tierney have said there is no evidence tying Ellerup or her children to the murders."

 

[CuriousCricket]

I have washed his regular clothing, golf clothing, boat clothing, hats, sneakers, and yes, even belts (the kind made of rope or nylon) and I have never found one of my hairs transferred to any of his belts. Ever, in 20+ years, and I am a little OCD when it comes to laundry.

But it seems Asa isn't OCD about laundry nor cleanliness from reports about the house. If you vacuum every day, she may vacuum once a month . . . . as a maybe.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Yeppers, I remember seeing him once qualify that she was not a suspect, and he said there was no evidence at the time to support that. That's definitely different from "yeah, she's not one."

Agreed. It gets more concerning by the day. Agreed with the out of the frying pan into the fire with Macedonio, too.

The thing is, it's just incredibly unusual to have a husband-wife "team" that would actually be doing this. It's unfortunately not impossible, though, or unprecedented. So yeah, it's a real worry. And especially now with all these "handlers" she has-- why don't they "handle"?? She is projecting an image that's worse than ever. People are going to start fearing the reality of the situation is finally asserting itself.

I would "hope" there's no AE "involvement." But hoping's not getting. And based on what she's already done, I mean, that's bad enough to trigger some disgust regardless of actual "involvement." It's a callused, nasty, calculated response in itself. And just checked, from Newsday: "Harrison and Tierney have said there is no evidence tying Ellerup or her children to the murders."

BBM:

Harrison is gone now so his statement is from months ago.He also said at the time, "time will tell".

Harrison had said he was going by their "reaction" that Asa and children had no idea.

I look at Asa and the 2 adult children as apples & oranges when it comes to who had suspicions/ who knew what or who was somehow involved.

IMO: It was just too damn easy for her to have quickly morphed into the "stand by my man" wife when the man has been criminally charged with the most evil acts imaginable with what looks like pretty air-tight evidence to back it up.
And the evidence that LE chose to release is there for the world to see.

I find it ironic that the wife of a man who paid sex workers and is accused of killing them is getting paid every time she visits him in jail via Peacock.

 

[watergirl62]

Hope LE checked the Heuermann's linen closet and pillow case patterns.
Peaches was also found with a pillow case that LE posted an image of.
There could be a pillow case that matches it somewhere and lotsa houses, including mine have a few old forgotten pillow cases in the back of linen closet

Great idea. Wow, it's been years since I followed lisk and worked on peaches (back in TKS broadcast days) but that pillowcase pattern is indelibly stamped in my head.

 

[watergirl62]

But it seems Asa isn't OCD about laundry nor cleanliness from reports about the house. If you vacuum every day, she may vacuum once a month . . . . as a maybe.

Just a first-hand observation: I have to vacuum weekly because my to mid-back length hair falls out a lot more now than it did when I was younger. It is not uncommon for my husband to get 'hair transfer.' It definitely takes effort to stay on top of it.

So I think the transfer theory is credible, but I am on the fence for now regarding her innocence/ involvement. The couple's theory (like PB/KH) is also compelling, as is her major denial vibe, similar to a small child covering their ears and screaming I CAN'T HEAR YOU over and over.

 

[Betty P]

Great idea. Wow, it's been years since I followed lisk and worked on peaches (back in TKS broadcast days) but that pillowcase pattern is indelibly stamped in my head.

Murder Victim Dubbed ‘Peaches’ Linked to Long Island Serial Killer Case

Exclusive: Authorities linked an unidentified woman’s torso found 19 years ago in Rockville Centre with skeletal remains discovered on Ocean Parkway in '11.

www.longislandpress.com

 

[Baby baby Jane]

Well, housekeeping wasn't their thing, and I admit that as a participant in this thread who is a little tired of posts about the state of the house from the "our poor neighborhood," people.

(Of course, they are not nearly as bad as the posts about the state of the house from the families' attorneys. My poor clients were inconvenienced by their house being stirred up in the efforts to investigate multiple murders! Thank goodness that BS is quiet. I hope I didn't jinx it.)

The point is, it could have been a high- hair house and car. The hairs could have managed to be transferred to more than one victim and from more than one HH member, especially if it is true that the victims were placed there from another location at the same time. I see it as plausible that there could be a way the suspect transferred the hairs and family members who grow that hair would not be aware.

But it gets harder to turn to that theory when one of the persons who grows the hair publicly says things like, "not capable." If it were me, learning that my hair and another HH member's hair were found at muliple crime scenes, and I lived with the suspect, I'd be slowing the roll on the "not capable," talk. I'd start questioning my past.

4 HH hairs on three different people kinda put the idea that she was riding with the window open on a beach day, and her hair entangled itself on items wrapping corpses wildly unlikely. I don't see a lot of doubt to offer the benefit of to the suspect. The hair got there somehow...and if it's transfer, just how could that happen? Who could transfer it?

MOO

The rolls of burlap leaning of stacked in shed, or storage area that she walked by regularly and the hairs caught on rough burlap?
Live in home with long hair women, find stray hairs are actually woven into some wool sweaters, coats, that belong to the men & have found human hair woven into carpet, have found dog hair underneath phone and tablet covers, inside books, in the fridge & on curtains lamp shades. Drafts in the home must draw the hairs through the house and as find quantity of dog hair in basement where the dog never goes and the attic which is inaccessible to dog. Not a dirty house, hair is lightweight and travels or finds a place to get stuck.
I don’t find it odd that hair gets around a house and gets stuck in unexpected places.

 

[iamshadow21]

The rolls of burlap leaning of stacked in shed, or storage area that she walked by regularly and the hairs caught on rough burlap?
Live in home with long hair women, find stray hairs are actually woven into some wool sweaters, coats, that belong to the men & have found human hair woven into carpet, have found dog hair underneath phone and tablet covers, inside books, in the fridge & on curtains lamp shades. Drafts in the home must draw the hairs through the house and as find quantity of dog hair in basement where the dog never goes and the attic which is inaccessible to dog. Not a dirty house, hair is lightweight and travels or finds a place to get stuck.
I don’t find it odd that hair gets around a house and gets stuck in unexpected places.

I have long hair, and we have a Roomba. We also have three indoor cats. It's not the cat hair I spend ages cutting and yanking off the Roomba cleaning brushes and out of every mechanical orifice. It's my own. It literally gets everywhere in this house. In the crevices of the sofa, under the furniture, in the lint filter and all over my pillow. And unless I'm washing or brushing it, it's plaited back, not hanging loose. It gets everywhere anyway.

As I've said before, I think that there's a chance RH used his own bed, which I presume he shared with his wife, in the killings. So her hair would likely be found there, and could have transferred to the victims there.

MOP

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

As I've said before, I think that there's a chance RH used his own bed, which I presume he shared with his wife, in the killings. So her hair would likely be found there, and could have transferred to the victims there.

Like you, my long thick hair is everywhere, including the cars, even though it is mostly kept braided and up.
I don't think there is evidence that the hairs were transferred directly onto the victims/bodies. The hair was stuck on tape, burlap and the belt buckle. If he had used the bed to do any of those things, I think there would be far more hairs on the victim, tape and burlap.
All of the hairs could also have been from the vehicle or from his own clothing, he may have had his supplies already in his truck when he met up with the victims. As for the belt buckle, I wore a brass one on a leather belt, daily for many years and I did have to occasionally cut my own hair off of it. I don't think we need to think the wife had the belt involved in her sex life for a hair to get stuck in the buckle of a belt that may have been in a drawer or hanging on a wall/closet for many years.

At this late date, I don't understand anyone questioning how easy it is for hair to be transferred. It would appear that claiming it is suspicious is tied to her financial arrangements and her not declaring that RH is guilty.

According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, it’s 'normal to lose anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair per day.'
So for 2 women, it would seem that, at the minimum, more than 3000 long hairs a month could end up around their house/car every month. I don't care how much you lint roll and vacuum, a couple of people with long hair is impossible to keep up with.
MOO

 

[Ruminations]

Of course innocent hair transfer by a murderer to a murder scene or three by a killer who lives with the hair grower is possible. I think this point is not being disputed by anybody.

What is curious is the bizarre communications by the attorney of the hair grower.

How is he going to say in in one breath that Asa does not think Rex is capable of the crimes with which he is charged, and say in the next the hairs must have been transferred. By whom? The one incapable of committing the crimes? That does not make any sense.

If Macedonio is saying the hairs are transferred, he is drawing a circle around Rex. If he is also saying that his client does not think the accused is capable, what theory is he putting forth?

I only see two ways to make both true and reasonable: Asa knows there is more to the story than Rex acting alone, which he would be incapable of doing, in her opinion as inferred by me. Yes, he transferred the hair. No he is not the murderer, or not the main murderer.

What else could they be thinking, in acknowledging the hair transfer and saying Rex would be incapable of the crimes?

MOO

 

[snooptroop88]

Of course innocent hair transfer by a murderer to a murder scene or three by a killer who lives with the hair grower is possible. I think this point is not being disputed by anybody.

What is curious is the bizarre communications by the attorney of the hair grower.

How is he going to say in in one breath that Asa does not think Rex is capable of the crimes with which he is charged, and say in the next the hairs must have been transferred. By whom? The one incapable of committing the crimes? That does not make any sense.

If Macedonio is saying the hairs are transferred, he is drawing a circle around Rex. If he is also saying that his client does not think the accused is capable, what theory is he putting forth?

I only see two ways to make both true and reasonable: Asa knows there is more to the story than Rex acting alone, which he would be incapable of doing, in her opinion as inferred by me. Yes, he transferred the hair. No he is not the murderer, or not the main murderer.

What else could they be thinking, in acknowledging the hair transfer and saying Rex would be incapable of the crimes?

MOO

Amen, this Peacock deal was such a bad idea for this person. IMO, this "does not think RH is capable of the crimes" -- that's the hooey. So I'm still with the natural transfer, but her atty making these statements leads right where you say it does. Her hair's there. If she doesn't think RH did it, how'd her hairs get there?? What a great point, I mean, if they're going to make these poop statements (MOO), hold them accountable for them.

 

[sunspun]

Of course innocent hair transfer by a murderer to a murder scene or three by a killer who lives with the hair grower is possible. I think this point is not being disputed by anybody.

What is curious is the bizarre communications by the attorney of the hair grower.

How is he going to say in in one breath that Asa does not think Rex is capable of the crimes with which he is charged, and say in the next the hairs must have been transferred. By whom? The one incapable of committing the crimes? That does not make any sense.

If Macedonio is saying the hairs are transferred, he is drawing a circle around Rex. If he is also saying that his client does not think the accused is capable, what theory is he putting forth?

I only see two ways to make both true and reasonable: Asa knows there is more to the story than Rex acting alone, which he would be incapable of doing, in her opinion as inferred by me. Yes, he transferred the hair. No he is not the murderer, or not the main murderer.

What else could they be thinking, in acknowledging the hair transfer and saying Rex would be incapable of the crimes?

MOO

Seems like he's saying that Asa might not think Rex is capable of committing these crimes, but he (Macedonio) does.

 

[Sjöberg]

Yes, hair gets everywhere, especially via the floors, bedding and simply being in a washing machine.

I am kinda fuzzy on the timeline atm, but wasn't their own kid in a similar age to the killed toddler at the time of the murder? This could not only explain the possible remorse behaviour with the kid (wrapping etc), but possibly also the hair - post-partum hair shedding is a thing. Mentioning it just in case if the murder victim with most AE hair found was murdered during the first lifeyear of their daughter, not that it really needs an extra reason, but just an interesting biology fact.