NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The Long Island community was notably shocked when news broke of suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann's arrest on murder charges. As authorities delved into the case, they sought to uncover any possible connections between Heuermann's crimes and his family.
Who is Johanna Ellerup?
Dr Johanna Ellerup, Heuermann's sister-in-law, shared her distress during a recent interview, expressing her concern about her sister Asa, Heuermann's wife. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ellerup revealed that they had not heard from Asa and had no knowledge of her whereabouts. "We have not heard from her, we don't have an address for her. We don't know anything," she said, her voice laden with worry.
For the Ellerup family, the ordeal was overwhelming, particularly for their elderly father. They were navigating through a harrowing situation with little information to lean on. "Honestly, I swear we know less than you," Ellerup impatiently admitted. The family was grappling with the absence of answers, left in the dark about Heuermann's dark and heinous double life.
The silent family
As the investigation intensified, reporters descended upon the Long Island home Heuermann once shared with Asa and their two children. A neighbor, witnessing the media frenzy, empathetically urged the journalists to leave "the poor old man alone." It was clear that the Ellerup family was reeling from the shocking revelations about Heuermann.
Accounts from the IGA supermarket in Massapequa, where Asa and her children frequented for shopping, shed some light on their lives. Cashiers described them as a quiet, cheerless family. Despite visiting the store frequently, Asa was always alone with the children and Heuermann was never seen accompanying them. Store manager Mery Salmeri shared her observation, stating, "He never came with them. I'm not sure what that says about them," adding that Asa often appeared depressed, and the family used food stamps to pay for their groceries.
'They were disgusted. They were embarrassed'
Amidst the chaos and suspicion, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison asserted that he did not believe Heuermann's family had any knowledge of his alleged crimes. He recounted how they reacted to the news of his arrest and the charges against him. "They were disgusted. They were embarrassed," Harrison said of Heuermann's wife and two adult children, adding, "So if you ask me, I don't believe they knew about this double life that Heuermann was living."
As investigators pieced together the timeline of the murders, it became apparent that Asa was traveling during the times of the crimes. Her travel records showed that during the time that the murders of Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy took place, she was in Maryland, New Jersey, and Iceland, respectively. Waterman, Costello and Barthelemy's remains were found dumped on Gilgo Beach, sending shockwaves through the community. As authorities probed deeper, cell phone records and other evidence began to link Heuermann to the crime scenes. In an unexpected twist, it was discovered that he allegedly used Barthelemy's phone to taunt her family, making vulgar and mocking calls from a location near his Manhattan office.
The cold case revival
For years, the investigation into the Long Island murders went cold, leaving families desperate for answers and justice. However, the appointment of Suffolk County Police Commissioner Raymond Harris in 2021 breathed new life into the case. Harris was determined to solve the mystery that had eluded law enforcement for over a decade. Working diligently with a task force specifically dedicated to the cold case, investigators stumbled upon Heuermann's name and began questioning why previous efforts had failed to implicate him. The pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together, leading to the issuance of over 300 subpoenas and search warrants.
The evidence against Heuermann continued to mount, tying him to the car seen by a witness at one of the murder scenes back in 2009. His compulsive searches related to the Gilgo Beach murders raised further suspicions. Ultimately, DNA evidence from an uneaten piece of pizza was matched to one of the victims, solidifying the case against him. As the investigation expanded, authorities looked into other unsolved crimes in the area to determine if Heuermann was involved. The implications were chilling, suggesting that his alleged reign of terror may have extended far beyond the Long Island murders.
