Long Island authorities poised to announce identity of Gilgo Beach murder victim, source says
From CNN's Brynn Gingras
Authorities in Suffolk County on New York's Long Island are expected to identify a Gilgo Beach murder victim that has gone nameless in the case that has spanned over a decade, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The source said authorities in a news conference Friday morning will name Jane Doe 7, whose remains were found in 2011 along Ocean Parkway during the expansive Gilgo Beach investigative search and later linked to remains first found on Fire Island in New York in 1996.
The Suffolk County district attorney, police commissioner, and sheriff, as well as representatives from the New York State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation, will “hold a press conference to announce an update in the ongoing investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force” at 10:30 a.m. ET, CNN previously reported.
The sprawling case, which began with a search for a missing woman in 2010, led to the findings of 11 sets of remains — 10 of which were believed to have been victims of homicide.
No new charges anticipated against Rex Heuermann: Authorities are not expected to announce any new charges against New York architect Rex Heuermann.
He is also the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance and death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, according to a court document from prosecutors.
Heuermann has not been charged in connection with that fourth homicide, but the investigation “is expected to be resolved soon,” the document says.
Through his attorney, Heuermann has refuted the charges against him.
CNN's Kristina Sgueglia and Holly Yan contributed reporting to this post.
9 min ago
Investigation into Gilgo Beach suspect has expanded into other states
From CNN's Rob Frehse, Christina Maxouris and Lauren Mascarenhas
Rex Heuermann, the suspect in the Gilgo Beach killings, appeared in a Suffolk County court on August 1. James Carbone/Pool/Newsday
Police in Las Vegas are sifting through unsolved cases for any sign that Heuermann may have been involved, CNN has reported.
Though they lived on Long Island, the suspect and his wife had bought two timeshare condos in Las Vegas between 2003 and 2005, according to property records obtained by CNN. The couple sold the first property, the records show, and it is unclear whether they still own the second.
And in northern South Carolina’s Chester County, where tax records show Heuermann owns four large parcels of land, the sheriff’s office says it has been gathering evidence since before the suspect’s arrest.
A search warrant for South Carolina property owned by the suspect sought possible “trophies,” among other items, the suspect may have taken after the killings, according to the Chester News & Reporter, which has seen the warrant.
The warrant shows a long list of items under “property sought,” many of which are listed as “trophies,” the newspaper reported.
That list includes phones, articles of clothing, jewelry, identification, notebooks, ledgers, Bibles, personal effects and/or photographs or recordings depicting the victims, according to the paper.
Other “trophy” items were separately listed, according to the paper, including condoms, black leather belts, knives, scissors, devices used to stamp letters on leather goods, and “Bounty paper towels specifically from the Bounty Modern Print Collection.”
CNN has reached out to South Carolina authorities to obtain the search warrant.
Forensic and trace evidence was also sought, the newspaper reported, including anything that could provide DNA like fingernails and hair.
The warrant also reveals authorities are looking for other items that may have been used in the killings and any items from locked rooms or storage areas on property owned by Heuermann, the paper reported.
44 min ago
Officials will give an update this morning on the Gilgo Beach murders investigation
From CNN's Rob Frehse
Officials are expected to provide an update on the Gilgo Beach murders investigation Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s announced.
“Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr., as well as representatives from the New York State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation will hold a press conference to announce an update in the ongoing investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force,” according to a press release from the district attorney’s office.
New York City architect Rex Heuermann was charged last month with three counts of first-degree murder for killings of three women who comprise the "Gilgo Four," according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. He is the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of the fourth woman.
The four bodies were among a string of 11 sets of human remains found scattered along Long Island’s South Shore between 2010 and 2011, sparking what police have called “one of the most consequential homicide investigations” in the island’s history.
46 min ago
Here's what we know about the investigation of the Gilgo Beach murders so far
From CNN's Rob Frehse, Christina Maxouris and Lauren Mascarenhas
Rex Heuermann was arrested in New York City and charged with murder in the deaths of three of the “Gilgo Four” – a group of four women whose remains were found along a short stretch of Long Island’s Gilgo Beach in 2010.
He has pleaded not guilty in the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello.
The 59-year-old architect is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and killing of the fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, but he has yet to be charged in that case.
The technology authorities are using to search the backyard will “help us … identify anything in that backyard that we need to take into our possession,” Harrison. Investigators will likely continue their work at the Massapequa Park site for another day or two, he said.
Since this spring, investigators probing the case have been operating on the theory that Heuermann committed the killings in his home, CNN has previously reported.
The home is just a few miles from where the women’s remains were found.
A source involved in the investigation has told CNN the fact that the disappearances occurred during times that Heuermann’s family was out of town suggests he may have lured victims to his Long Island home, where the suspect lived with his wife, their daughter and stepson.
Investigators believe committing the killings at home would have given Heuermann control of the environment and access to materials that were found at the crime scene, including tape and burlap bags, the source said.
Investigators found a hoard of between 200 and 300 guns stashed in a walled-off vault which was locked behind a metal door in the home, a source told CNN. Harrison confirmed there was a vault with guns at the home, but denied reports of a “soundproof room” in the house.
SOON: Officials are expected to provide an update on the Gilgo Beach murdersinvestigation at 10:30 a.m. ET.
New York architect Rex Heuermann is charged with three counts of first-degree murder for killings of three women in the "Gilgo Four," according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. He is the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of the fourth woman.
The four bodies were among a string of 11 sets of human remains found scattered along Long Island’s South Shore between 2010 and 2011, sparking what police have called “one of the most consequential homicide investigations” in the island’s history.
Here’s a timeline of the case and the investigation.
Authorities in Suffolk County on New York's Long Island are expected to identify a Gilgo Beach murder victim that has gone nameless in the case that has spanned over a decade, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The source said authorities in a news conference Friday morning will name Jane Doe 7, whose remains were found in 2011 along Ocean Parkway during the expansive Gilgo Beach investigative search and later linked to remains first found on Fire Island in New York in 1996.
The Suffolk County district attorney, police commissioner, and sheriff, as well as representatives from the New York State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation, will “hold a press conference to announce an update in the ongoing investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force” at 10:30 a.m. ET, CNN previously reported.
The sprawling case, which began with a search for a missing woman in 2010, led to the findings of 11 sets of remains — 10 of which were believed to have been victims of homicide.
No new charges anticipated against Rex Heuermann: Authorities are not expected to announce any new charges against New York architect Rex Heuermann.
He is also the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance and death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, according to a court document from prosecutors.
Heuermann has not been charged in connection with that fourth homicide, but the investigation “is expected to be resolved soon,” the document says.
Through his attorney, Heuermann has refuted the charges against him.
CNN's Kristina Sgueglia and Holly Yan contributed reporting to this post.
Rex Heuermann, the suspect in the Gilgo Beach killings, appeared in a Suffolk County court on August 1. James Carbone/Pool/Newsday
Police in Las Vegas are sifting through unsolved cases for any sign that Heuermann may have been involved, CNN has reported.
Though they lived on Long Island, the suspect and his wife had bought two timeshare condos in Las Vegas between 2003 and 2005, according to property records obtained by CNN. The couple sold the first property, the records show, and it is unclear whether they still own the second.
And in northern South Carolina’s Chester County, where tax records show Heuermann owns four large parcels of land, the sheriff’s office says it has been gathering evidence since before the suspect’s arrest.
A search warrant for South Carolina property owned by the suspect sought possible “trophies,” among other items, the suspect may have taken after the killings, according to the Chester News & Reporter, which has seen the warrant.
The warrant shows a long list of items under “property sought,” many of which are listed as “trophies,” the newspaper reported.
That list includes phones, articles of clothing, jewelry, identification, notebooks, ledgers, Bibles, personal effects and/or photographs or recordings depicting the victims, according to the paper.
Other “trophy” items were separately listed, according to the paper, including condoms, black leather belts, knives, scissors, devices used to stamp letters on leather goods, and “Bounty paper towels specifically from the Bounty Modern Print Collection.”
CNN has reached out to South Carolina authorities to obtain the search warrant.
Forensic and trace evidence was also sought, the newspaper reported, including anything that could provide DNA like fingernails and hair.
The warrant also reveals authorities are looking for other items that may have been used in the killings and any items from locked rooms or storage areas on property owned by Heuermann, the paper reported.
Officials are expected to provide an update on the Gilgo Beach murders investigation Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s announced.
“Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr., as well as representatives from the New York State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation will hold a press conference to announce an update in the ongoing investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force,” according to a press release from the district attorney’s office.
New York City architect Rex Heuermann was charged last month with three counts of first-degree murder for killings of three women who comprise the "Gilgo Four," according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office. He is the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of the fourth woman.
The four bodies were among a string of 11 sets of human remains found scattered along Long Island’s South Shore between 2010 and 2011, sparking what police have called “one of the most consequential homicide investigations” in the island’s history.
Rex Heuermann was arrested in New York City and charged with murder in the deaths of three of the “Gilgo Four” – a group of four women whose remains were found along a short stretch of Long Island’s Gilgo Beach in 2010.
He has pleaded not guilty in the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello.
The 59-year-old architect is also the prime suspect in the disappearance and killing of the fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, but he has yet to be charged in that case.
The technology authorities are using to search the backyard will “help us … identify anything in that backyard that we need to take into our possession,” Harrison. Investigators will likely continue their work at the Massapequa Park site for another day or two, he said.
Since this spring, investigators probing the case have been operating on the theory that Heuermann committed the killings in his home, CNN has previously reported.
The home is just a few miles from where the women’s remains were found.
A source involved in the investigation has told CNN the fact that the disappearances occurred during times that Heuermann’s family was out of town suggests he may have lured victims to his Long Island home, where the suspect lived with his wife, their daughter and stepson.
Investigators believe committing the killings at home would have given Heuermann control of the environment and access to materials that were found at the crime scene, including tape and burlap bags, the source said.
Investigators found a hoard of between 200 and 300 guns stashed in a walled-off vault which was locked behind a metal door in the home, a source told CNN. Harrison confirmed there was a vault with guns at the home, but denied reports of a “soundproof room” in the house.
