SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: Sherre Gilbert, the sister of Shannan Gilbert, one of the victims of the notorious Gilgo Beach murders, has expressed her relief and anger after an arrest was made in the case. Rex Heuermann, a married father of two, was arrested on Thursday and charged with killing four women whose bodies were found along the Long Island coastline in 2010.
He is also suspected of killing Shannan Gilbert, an escort who vanished after visiting a client in Oak Beach in May 2010. Gilbert's disappearance is what led police to the gruesome discoveries in 2010 when they stumbled on four bodies meters apart within days triggering a massive investigation.
'I never gave up hope'
Sherre Gilbert told NBC News on Friday that she was "overwhelmed but relieved" that the police had finally caught the alleged serial killer who "destroyed many lives". She said, "I never gave up hope that one-day justice would be served. The suspect deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He can't ever hurt anyone else."
Shannan Gilbert's body was found on nearby marshland near Oak Beach in December 2011, but no arrests had been made until now. The police have not confirmed whether Heuermann is linked to her death or to the other six bodies that were found in the area in 2011, including a toddler. However, so far it is been reported that he is been linked to the 'Gilgo Four,' the first four victims found by investigators.
'Something is going to happen to me'
In May 2022, police released a 911 call that an audibly troubled Gilbert made on the day of her disappearance, repeatedly telling a dispatcher, “Something is going to happen to me.” The 23-year-old Craigslist escort lived in Jersey City. On the day of her disappearance, on May 1, 2010, she traveled with her driver Michael Pak from Manhattan to meet a client named Joseph Brewer at his home in the Oak Beach Association. Here is a possible rephrased version of the paragraph: "While Gilbert was with the John, her driver stayed in his car. She started behaving strangely during the encounter, which made her client call the driver and tell the woman to go away. Gilbert did not want to leave at first, but then she ran out of the house. She went to several houses and talked to two neighbors before vanishing."
How was Heuermann traced by oolice?
Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park was raided by the police on Thursday. The house is north of Gilgo Beach, separated by South Oyster Bay. The police seized several items from the property, including a freezer. Law enforcement sources told Daily Mail that Heuermann had been under investigation since last year. They said they traced him by tracking the phone calls he made from burner phones to the victims' cell phones over a decade ago. They said it was "good, old-fashioned police work'" that solved the case.
'Gilgo Four'
The Gilgo Beach murders became one of the most baffling and gruesome serial killer cases in the US. The four women who Heuermann is accused of killing were all strangled and wrapped in burlap sacks. They were identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. Here is a possible rephrased version of the paragraph: "According to his bail application, as reported by the publication, Rex Heuermann will face three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder for killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. They were among the 'Gilgo Four,' whose bodies were discovered in Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, along Ocean Parkway in December 2010."
