Gilgo Murders

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.

There's been a breakthrough in the Gilgo Beach murders case ... a suspected serial killer is now in police custody on Long Island.

Rex Heuermann, an architect from Long Island who works at a firm in New York City, was taken into custody Friday in connection with some of the killings from over a decade ago ... according to multiple reports.

You may recall, the Gilgo Beach murders case started capturing national attention way back in 2010 ... when police discovered four bodies wrapped in burlap during a search for Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker who vanished on Long Island.

The bodies, known as the "Gilgo Four," were ultimately identified as Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. The woman were all reportedly sex workers in their 20s.

Police have long believed a serial killer was responsible for the women's deaths ... but the investigation never really turned up much over the years, until Friday's arrest.

In total, 11 sets of human remains have been found on Gilgo Beach ... including Gilbert's and those of Valerie Mack, a sex worker who had been missing for over 2 decades ... plus a man and a toddler.

Heuermann was arrested after being matched with DNA, according to the New York Post, and he's expected to be arraigned later today.

Police have cordoned off Heuermann's home in Massapequa ... and the place is crawling with law enforcement.

The district attorney is set to address the arrest around 4 PM ET Friday during a news conference.