Riverhead, New York – Suspected Long Island serial killer Rex Heurman is due back in court in New York on Thursday to face charges for killing two more women.
Heurman faces new murder charges in the July 2003 killing of Jessica Taylor and the November 1993 killing of Sandra Costilla, according to court documents.
Police arrested a 59-year-old New York City architect last year in connection with three unsolved murders, and prosecutors finalized charges against a fourth victim a few months later.
The Gilgo Beach murders have remained unsolved for more than a decade, and the case is growing.
A task force of state and local investigators pieced together evidence linking them to the “Demon” suspect, including witness descriptions of a green Chevrolet Avalanche, numerous disposable cell phone records, DNA from the crime scene and discarded pizza crusts.
Rex Heurman’s family kept brutal evidence, sources say
Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuerman appears in Judge Tim Mazzei’s courtroom next to his attorney Michael Brown, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Riverhead. (James Carbone/Newsday/Pool)
Police arrested Heurman in July 2023 outside his Manhattan office and spent nearly two weeks searching his home in Massapequa Park, about 20 minutes from where police discovered the bodies of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, in 2010.
Prosecutors later added a murder charge for 25-year-old Maureen Brainerd Barnes, whose body was found near the other suspects.
The “Gilgo Four,” clockwise from top left, are Maureen Brainard Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. In the background, a wooden cross can be seen in the marsh next to Gilgo Beach, New York. Their bodies were found in brush just a few metres from Ocean Parkway. (Suffolk County Police Department/Mega via Fox News Digital)
These women are collectively known as the “Gilgo Four” because they were found under similar circumstances in close proximity to one another.
Suspected serial killer Rex Heuerman’s home searched again
Shanann Gilbert’s body was discovered near Oak Beach, New York on December 13, 2011. (Shannan Gilbert’s Family)
Police found their bodies in brush along Ocean Parkway after the other woman, Shannan Gilbert, panicked and called 911 for help and then vanished into the night.
Police discovered Seven more bodies were found further east on the highway. Most of the deaths remain under investigation. The Gilbert death was the last of 2011.
Police said in 2020 that Gilbert’s death appeared to be accidental drowning, but the official cause of death is unknown and a private autopsy conducted by Dr. Michael Baden found evidence of “homicidal strangulation.”
Sign up to get True Crime Newsletter
Get real-time updates directly True Crime Hub
Two of the other victims were identified as Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack, both of whom had been dismembered and their bodies dumped in different locations.
Police discovered parts of their bodies in Manorville in 2000 and 2003. Further remains of both victims were found near the Gilgo victim.
Jessica Taylor (left) and Valerie Mack (right) were murdered and dismembered, with Suffolk County police finding the remains of each victim along Ocean Parkway near Manorville and Gilgo Beach, New York. (Suffolk County Police Department/Handout)
Follow the FOX True Crime Team on X
Police dog units conducted searches in Manorville in April and executed a second search warrant at Heuerman’s home in May. Police returned further east to the North Sea area, where in 1993 they discovered the body of a woman named Sandra Costila.
The prime suspect in Costilla’s death is another serial killer, former Manorville carpenter John Bittrollf, currently serving time in prison for two other murders.
If Heuermann is responsible for the murders in the East, his killing spree began decades earlier than previously known.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Heuerman has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in connection with the Gilgo Four.
