Gilgo Murders

Rex Heuermann -- the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer -- will be hit with a new charge tied to his murder case ... TMZ has confirmed

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Heuermann will be arraigned in Riverhead, NY on Thursday -- and while the exact details aren't official yet ... we're told he's expected to be hit with yet another murder charge ... his fifth in the sweeping case.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney told CBS News Monday ... "There were a number of necessary investigative steps that were taken, we've pointed out just some of them. Thursday, you will see the fruits of that investigation." The identity of the new alleged victim has yet to be released.

Rex Heuermann -- the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer -- has just been hit with a new murder charge ... an expected development, officially rounding out the 4 known victims.

Prosecutors lodged a new murder complaint against Heuermann Tuesday -- accusing him of killing Maureen Brainard-Barnes ... a woman who's long been tied to the Gilgo Beach case, but is now being connected to RH via law enforcement.

Maureen disappeared in 2007, and her remains were found in 2010. She was technically the first of the Gilgo Four that was discovered within days of each other -- with the other three women being Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy.

Heuermann had already been charged in connection to their murders ... and now, he's being rung up for Brainard-Barnes too -- mind you, there are outstanding women's disappearances that are currently being investigated that may well end up being linked to this.

The added murder charge for Brainard-Barnes was something that seemed to be coming -- investigators were waiting for DNA test results from hair recovered from her remains.

Now, it appears as though they feel they have enough evidence to point the finger. Heuermann has pled not guilty to the charges against him ... he'll have to answer for this one at some point down the line.

El presunto asesino en serie de Gilgo Beach es casi seguramente el que las autoridades han estado buscando durante años, esto de acuerdo con los fiscales, que ahora dicen que la prueba estaría en la pizza.

Rex Heuermann apareció en la corte el miércoles para una audiencia de estado y los fiscales anunciaron un par de grandes avances en el caso, incluyendo la afirmación de que una reciente muestra de ADN de Heuermann (obtenida de su mejilla) coincide con el ADN que encontraron en los restos de una pizza, que era la clave para descifrar el asunto.

Como recordatorio, los policías decidieron investigar la basura de Heuermann en busca de ADN. Lo encontraron en algunos restos de pizza y más tarde llegaron a la conclusión de que coincidía con el ADN de un folículo piloso descubierto en una bolsa de arpillera que contenía restos de una de las 4 víctimas.

Ahora, a raíz de estas nuevas pruebas, la oficina del fiscal dice que no hay duda de que el ADN que encontraron en la pizza pertenece a Heuermann. En otras palabras, están diciendo que lo atraparon.

Mientras los fiscales insisten en que el ADN de la pizza coincide, el equipo de defensa de Heuermann hizo hincapié en la corte que el ADN del folículo piloso no es tan claro, argumentando que el pelo podría pertenecer a otras personas, a pesar de que la ley ha alegado que con seguridad no coincide con el 99,96% de la población de América del Norte.

Otro detalle que salió a la luz durante la comparecencia del miércoles es que Heuermann ha estado dedicando entre 2 a 3 horas al día en promedio, para revisar los materiales proporcionados por la fiscalía, según le dijo al juez.

Los fiscales dicen que tienen al menos 10 terabytes de información sobre Heuermann y su equipo legal, por lo que hay mucho que estudiar detenidamente y puede haber más.

The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer is almost certainly the one authorities have been seeking for years -- this according to prosecutors, who now say the proof is in the pizza.

Rex Heuermann appeared in court Wednesday for a status hearing ... and prosecutors announced a couple of big developments in the case -- including their claim Heuermann's recently collected DNA (via cheek swab) does in fact match the DNA profile they found on a discarded pizza crust ... which was the key to cracking this whole thing.

As a refresher ... cops went through Heuermann's trash in search of DNA and say they found some on the pizza which they later concluded matched DNA from a hair follicle discovered in a burlap sack that contained remains from one of the 4 victims.

Now, in the wake of further testing ... the D.A.'s office is saying there's no doubt the DNA they found on the pizza belongs to Heuermann. Essentially, they're declaring they have their man.

While prosecutors insist the pizza DNA matches ... Heuermann's defense team made sure to emphasize in court the hair follicle DNA isn't quite so clear ... arguing that the hair could belong to other people, even though law enforcement has alleged 99.96% of the North American population can safely be excluded as a match.

Another nugget of info that surfaced during Wednesday's appearance ... Heuermann told the judge he'd been going over evidence in his jail cell -- explaining he'd been dedicating 2-3 hours a day, on average, to review materials provided by the prosecution.

Prosecutors say they've forked over at least 10 terabytes worth of info to Heuermann and his legal team -- so there's a lot to pore over, and there may be more to come.

James Burke -- the former Suffolk County Police Chief heavily criticized for derailing the Gilgo Beach murders investigation due to his ties to sex workers -- has been arrested for attempting to solicit a sex act.

The Tuesday morning arrest at Suffolk County's Vietnam War Memorial is remarkable because Burke was known to frequent sex workers back when he was Chief in the Long Island, NY community -- from 2012 to 2015 -- and many believe that's why he bungled the investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders ... as all the victims were sex workers.

Burke was previously arrested in 2015 for beating up a suspect in custody, and he was eventually convicted and served 46 months in prison.

Burke's mishandling of the case is just one of several failings we uncovered in the documentary, "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs" ... streaming now on Hulu.

As we've reported, Rex Heuermann has been arrested and charged with 3 of the Gilgo murders, and he's the prime suspect in a 4th.

A total of 11 bodies have been uncovered on the Long Island beachfront.

The person who buried the bodies of sex workers on Gilgo Beach in Long Island did not stop killing during the 12 years the case was mishandled ... this according to numerous experts.

TMZ's latest documentary --- "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs" -- puts the spotlight on a former police chief who went to great lengths to derail the investigation, in no small part because he himself was hiring prostitutes and didn't want a spotlight put on him.

Numerous law enforcement people, criminologists, and psychologists appear in the doc, and they say during the 12 years the case lay dormant, despite clues that would have led them to Rex Heuermann's doorstep, more women were probably murdered.

These people say serial killers don't stop killing ... maybe some do for a while, but they ultimately give in to their impulses.

Authorities are now looking at Las Vegas and South Carolina, where Heuermann owned properties, to determine if there are other victims. Some authorities believe there are other burial grounds out there.

In fact, cops arrested Heuermann earlier than they planned because he was allegedly getting close with another sex worker.

He's currently charged with murdering 3 women whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach, and he's the prime suspect in a 4th. Police found 11 bodies on Gilgo Beach, at least 8 of which were sex workers.

More than 4 years after the bodies of at least 8 sex workers were found on Long Island's Gilgo Beach, a former escort and current stylist says she had dinner with accused killer Rex Heuermann, and she says she knew he was the serial killer.

TMZ interviewed Nikki Brass for Sunday's Fox documentary, "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs," and she describes in great detail how she spent an evening with Heuermann at a Long Island restaurant, 45 miles from where the bodies were buried.

She says during their dinner in 2015, he asked if she was a fan of true crime, which she was. He then asked if she was familiar with the Gilgo Beach murders, and she said of course she was.

Then things turned ... according to Nikki, Heuermann was not so much talking about the murders as he was bragging about them. She was so creeped out, she called a friend to pick her up.

When dinner was over, Heuermann asked her to come home with him, and she declined. Nikki says he got angry and she left.

Nikki, who is now a stylist, says the way he spoke about the murders, she was convinced Heuermann was the Gilgo Beach serial killer and told many of her friends for years.

She didn't go to cops because she was on probation for a drug offense.

The alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heuermann, could have been nabbed in 2010 -- 13 years before his arrest -- if only cops had taken a guy named Dave Schaller seriously.

Schaller, who appears in our latest documentary -- "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs" -- was roommates with Amber Costello, one of the "Gilgo 4."

In 2010, Amber, a sex worker, had an encounter with a man at her home ... he was paying for a lap dance. Shortly after he arrived, Amber called Dave, telling him the man was trying to rape her.

Dave quickly returned home, walked in the door, and says he saw a giant of a man -- around 6'5" -- standing ominously in the living room. Dave told him to leave, and the guy refused. Dave ended up grabbing the guy, trying to get him out, and a fight ensued.

Eventually, the guy left in what Dave says was either a green or black Chevy Avalanche.

A month later, Amber had an appointment with a man and never returned home. The second she went missing, Dave knew it was the same man who was there a month earlier. Dave says Amber needed the money so she took a fatal chance.

After Amber's body was found, Dave was interviewed by police and told them the story, describing the man in great detail, "right down to his beady-ass eyes." He followed up 2 more times with cops, but they never chased down the lead.

Had cops run registrations for anyone in Long Island who had a green or black Avalanche, they could have then looked at the driver's licenses of the registered owners and they would have found a 6'5" man who fit Dave's description to a tee. That man was Rex Heuermann, and the Avalance was routinely parked in his driveway.

Authorities and others we spoke with say ... it's likely the serial killer killed other women after his encounter with Amber Costello.

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann is making his first appearance in a New York court … this after he was accused of killing 3 sex workers and is the prime suspect in a fourth slaying.

The hulking Heuermann was in handcuffs as he was led by uniformed officers Tuesday into the Suffolk County courtroom to face a judge on 6 murder charges, three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

Heuermann remained mostly stone-faced as he entered the courtroom.

As we reported, Heuermann was arrested in July and indicted on charges he murdered three prostitutes -- Melissa Barthelemy in 2009 and Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello in 2010. He was also linked to the 2007 killing of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barne, but he hasn't been charged yet in that case.

Prosecutors say Heuermann stuffed their bodies into burlap sacks and dumped them near Gilgo Beach on Long Island.

For over a decade, the murders went unsolved, but then investigators caught a break in 2022 when they followed up on a lead from years ago, tying Heuermann to a pickup truck allegedly involved in the Costello homicide.

Investigators put Heuermann and his family under surveillance at their Massapequa Park home, rounding up discarded trash for DNA testing. Detectives got a match for Heuermann off a DNA sample found on a pizza crust in a Manhattan trash can. Testing also revealed Heuermann's hair follicle was discovered inside a burlap sack containing one of the victims.

The wife and children of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann are reeling in the wake of his arrest ... with all the crippling anxiety and sleeping difficulties you'd expect for a family suddenly thrust into a nightmare.

The suspected killer's wife, Asa Ellerup, says the couple's son and daughter are crying themselves to sleep.

Heuermann's wife revealed the toll the grisly allegations are taking on her family in an interview with the NY Post, telling the publication she often wakes up shivering from anxiety in the middle of the night.

As we reported ... Heuermann's family recently returned to the Long Island home where cops believe he gruesomely murdered his victims.

The couple's 33-year-old son, Christopher, got super emotional as he sat down on the front porch last week.

Now, Asa says the home is a complete mess as a result of a 12-day search by police ... and the couple's daughter, Victoria, feels like the family is being treated like animals.

Living and sleeping in that home under the gruesome circumstances seems like an impossibly traumatic situation -- but Heuermann's wife says they have nowhere else to go.

Among the alleged damage left by police ... cat litter boxes strewn about, a couch in shambles, a broken guitar, and some damaged collectibles.

Heuermann has been charged with 3 murders ... and investigators are digging into a theory he might have killed the victims in the home while his wife and kids were out of town.

The wife and children of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann are back at the family home on Long Island ... the very house cops believe might have been the scene of the grisly murders.

TMZ obtained these images of the suspected killer's wife, Asa Ellerup, and his 32-year-old son, Christopher ... looking somber as they returned to their Massapequa, NY home for the first time since Rex was taken into custody in connection with some of the Gilgo Beach killings.

Heuermann's wife and son milled around the front porch and then sat down on a bench together and, not shockingly, appeared to get emotional.

Police previously searched the home -- roughly 15 miles from Gilgo Beach -- and even dug up the backyard in their quest for any evidence linking Heuermann to the killings.

Investigators are digging into a theory Heuermann might have murdered victims in the home while his family was out of town.

Heuermann has so far been charged with 3 murders ... though 11 sets of human remains have been found at Gilgo, including those of multiple sex workers, a man, and a toddler.

There have been a lot of chilling details surfacing since Heuermann was arrested ... like the former escort who claims she went on a date with him while the murders were happening, with Heurmann allegedly bringing up the case in an oddly enthusiastic manner.

Investigators in the Gilgo Beach murders case are digging into a grisly theory -- the suspected serial killer might have murdered his victims in his family's home.

Rex Heuermann lives in Massapequa Park, NY, roughly 15 miles away from Gilgo Beach, and since the spring, detectives have been looking into whether any of the victims were killed there ... according to a source who spoke to CNN.

According to the report, the source claimed the disappearances went down during times when Heuermann's family was out of town, leading investigators to theorize he potentially lured victims to the home.

Investigators think Heuermann would've had a big advantage using his own home, where he'd more easily be able to access materials like burlap bags ... and as you know, the 4 bodies found over a decade ago were wrapped in burlap.

As we reported, Heuermann was taken into custody last week in connection with some of the killings -- a total of 11 sets of human remains have been found at Gilgo, which included multiple sex workers, a man, and a toddler.

The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer got off on talking about the slayings and provided obscure details only the assailant would know, this according to a former escort who says she survived an encounter with him.

Rex Heuermann went on a "date" with former prostitute, Nicole Brass, first meeting her on the escort website, BackPage, which was similar to how the victims crossed paths with the Gilgo Beach murderer, Brass told the New York Daily News.

The two reportedly arranged to have dinner at Steamroom seafood restaurant in Port Jefferson, Long Island, during the height of the deadly rampage about a decade ago. While the conversation started off normal, Brass recalled it soon took a scary turn.

Brass said, "He asked me if I’m a true crime fan ... We talked briefly about other serial killers, then he said, "Have you heard of the Gilgo Beach murders? That’s when he got real weird."

She claimed Heuermann brought up the Gilgo murders, which she had been following at the time, and he became enthusiastic while revealing details of which she was completely unaware.

Brass said Heuermann specifically discussed one victim she didn't know about and "it seemed like he was talking about it from experience, not a point of view."

She continued, "It didn’t seem like somebody who feels bad when he talked about the victims. It seemed like somebody who really wanted to brag about what they did, but couldn’t."

Brass went on to say Heuermann's body language changed while he discussed the crimes, appearing as if "he was visualizing it in his head and getting off to what he was saying."

Of course, Brass wanted to get the hell out of there, so she cut the dinner short, but Heuermann insisted on her leaving with him in his car to go to a hotel room he booked. Luckily, she was able to break away from him and split.

Brass said she never reported the incident to police because she was on parole at the time for a felony drug conviction.

As for Heuermann, prosecutors identified him as the Gilgo Beach killer last week, charging him with the murders of 3 sex workers and eyeing him in a fourth slaying. Heuermann has denied any wrongdoing.

We now know more about what happened when cops arrested the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer -- we're told the guy didn't put up much of a fight.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison tells TMZ Rex Heuermann was taken into custody without issue .. and despite being suspected of committing heinous crimes, we're told Heuermann remained stoic throughout the process of his arrest.

Here's how it went down, per Harrison -- he says Heuermann was approached by detectives on the streets of NYC Friday ... who then told him he was under arrest. We're told Heuermann asked what for, and they told him it was for his alleged involvement in the Gilgo Beach murders from over a decade ago.

Harrison says Heuermann's response was interesting ... all he apparently said to the arresting officers was "I didn't do that" -- but we're told he did so in a very somber way. We're told he didn't shout or vehemently deny anything ... he just calmly said it wasn't him.

Harrison says they then threw on the bracelets, and that Heuermann didn't resist whatsoever -- he went peacefully and quietly with them. Commissioner Harrison tells us the detectives subsequently read him his Miranda Rights, and that he requested a lawyer.

Some believed his detainment was a bit more dramatic -- especially with footage that's been released showing police trailing him out and about -- however, it was anything but.

As we reported ... NY officials allege Heuermann is responsible for the 2010 deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelmey and Amber Costello. Cops also suspect he may have murdered Marueen Brainard-Barnes -- the 4th victim -- but he hasn't been charged for that murder yet.

The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer may have had a female accomplice for the 3 victims ... at least according to a lawyer representing the families.

Attorney John Ray, who reps the families of slain Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor, claims Rex Heuermann was not a solo operator and allegedly killed 3 prostitutes on Long Island with help from a mysterious cohort. Police have not linked the Gilbert and Taylor slayings to Heuermann as of now.

Ray pointed to the 2011 death of a 10-month-old baby girl whose body was found swaddled in a blanket near one of the confirmed Gilgo Beach victims. The lawyer insisted that a savage murderer would not have such maternal instincts to wrap the infant in a quilt.

"It's that kind of thing that, if you're such a depraved murderer, you don't take time to do. That to me seems like an act of a mother," Ray said, adding, "We also believe that some of the victims could've been lured by a woman."

Suffolk County Police officials have not commented on Ray's accusations on whether Heuermann had a cohort or if he's being eyed for the baby's murder.

But, Heuermann has enough legal problems to keep him busy. Detectives arrested him last week as he walked from his office in NYC, where he worked as an architect.

Prosecutors charged Heuermann with the murders of three sex workers and he's the top suspect in a fourth slaying. Heuermann allegedly wrapped their bodies in burlap and dumped them near Gilgo Beach between 2009 and 2015.

According to court documents, Heuermann was connected to the crimes through DNA testing and examining his cell phone records.