Gilgo Beach murders: Suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann charged with 4th murder
LONG ISLAND - Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann has formally been charged with the murder of a fourth victim: Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann appeared in court Tuesday morning wearing a dark suit and said nothing during the proceedings.
RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK - JANUARY 16: Alleged Gilgo serial killer Rex Heuermann appears before Judge Timothy P. Mazzei with his attorney Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court on January 16, 2024 in Riverhead, New York. Heuermann has been indicted in the
For Nicolette Brainard-Barnes, the charges were a chance for closure after the disappearance of her mother, Maureen, when Nicolette was just 7 years old.
"While the loss of my mom has been extremely painful for me the indictment by the grand jury has brought hope," she said.
Heuermann, a 60-year-old architect, was first arrested over the summer. DNA from discarded pizza crust and burner phone evidence tied him to three sex workers.
The Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force held a press conference following the hearing, marking a shift in the investigation.
"This indictment marks a change in the investigation. The grand jury investigation of the so-called 'Gilgo Four' is over…" Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Tuesday.
RELATED: Who is Maureen Brainard-Barnes, last 'Gilgo Four' victim to be linked to Rex Heuermann?
The architect has been charged in a string of slayings--now he's being charged with the death of a fourth woman (part of the ‘Gilgo Four’), a 25-year-old Connecticut mother of two who vanished in 2007 and whose remains were found more than three years later along a coastal highway in New York.
Heuermann was formally charged in the killing of Brainard-Barnes, months after being labeled as the prime suspect in her death when he was arrested in July in the deaths of three other women.
Brainard-Barnes was reported missing by a friend to the Norwich Police Department on July 14, 2007. Brainard-Barnes was found on December 13, 2010 on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach.
She is believed to be the first victim in what is known as the "Gilgo Four."
A hair found in the buckle of this belt used to bind Brainard-Barnes is said to be linked to Heuermann. His daughter’s discarded energy drink taken from a garbage can also matched DNA profiles.
Heuermann has entered a not guilty plea on the latest charges. According to his attorney, he looks forward to defending himself in court.
No arrests have been made in the deaths of the six others found near Gilgo Beach. The grand jury will continue to work to see if there are other possible connections.
He will continue to be held without bail. The judge set the next court date for Feb. 6.
Who was Maureen Brainard-Barnes?
Maureen Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old when she went missing and was living at 180 Prospect St. in Norwich, Connecticut. She is believed to have taken an Amtrak train from New London, Connecticut to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on July 6, 2007.
She is believed to be the first victim in what is known as the "Gilgo Four."
While in Manhattan, she was staying at the Super 8 Motel, located at 59 West 46th St. At the time, Brainard-Barnes, who was 4 feet 11 inches tall, was working as a sex worker, advertising on Craigslist, Backpage and other websites. She was known to advertise under the names Juliana or Marie. Her routine was to travel to Manhattan for a few days to work as an escort, and then return home to Connecticut. While in Manhattan, she was known to stay at The Super 8, The Red Roof Inn on West 32nd Street, the Carter Hotel on West 43rd St. and the Manhattan Hotel on 8th Avenue.
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Who were the Gilgo Beach murder victims?
Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers. Several of the bodies were found near the town of Gilgo Beach.
On occasion, Brainard-Barnes would travel with another female who worked out of a different room at the same location. They both may have used a male friend, who they would refer to as their cousin, to accompany them and offer a level of safety and protection. Brainard-Barnes traveled with her female friend the weekend she went missing, however her friend returned home early and Brainard-Barnes stayed behind. Brainard-Barnes was last heard from on July 9, 2007 at 11:43 p.m. when she called a friend in Connecticut. Although she was known to work out of motel rooms, on the night of July 9, 2007, she told her friend she would be going to meet someone outside of the motel on an "out-call."
RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK - JANUARY 16: Alleged Gilgo serial killer Rex Heuermann (C) appears before Judge Timothy P. Mazzei with his attorney Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court on January 16, 2024 in Riverhead, New York. Heuermann has been indicted in
Brainard-Barnes was reported missing by a friend to the Norwich Police Department on July 14, 2007. The NYPD assisted the Norwich Police Department in the missing person investigation, eventually taking it over. Brainard-Barnes was found on December 13, 2010 on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the search for Shannan Gilbert, who had gone missing from Oak Beach.
Who are the 'Gilgo Four'?
The bodies of the "Gilgo Four" were located within a quarter-mile of one another near Gilgo Beach in December 2010.
In 2022, Suffolk County Police released new information on victims Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, including personal information and their last known whereabouts.
Police arrested Heuermann outside his Manhattan office in July in for the murders of three women, Melissa, Megan, and Amber.
Hair DNA found in the burlap sack containing Waterman's remains matched a sample that police collected from a discarded pizza box outside Heuermann's Manhattan office, according to prosecutors.
Tierney said after the arrest that Heuermann was investigators' "prime suspect" in at least one more murder, the slaying of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, whose remains were found near the others.
Charges were expected eventually as investigators continued to work the case.
What are the Gilgo Beach murders?
The Gilgo Beach murders – the deaths of 11 people whose remains were found in 2010 and 2011 – have long stumped investigators.
Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers. Several of the bodies were found near the remote town of Gilgo Beach on the southern shore of Long Island.
Determining who killed them, and why, has vexed a slew of seasoned homicide detectives through several changes in police leadership. Last year, an interagency task force was formed with investigators from the FBI, as well as state and local police departments, aimed at solving the case.
The formation of the Gilgo Beach task force represented a renewed commitment to investigating the unsolved killings, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said at the time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.