LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: Gilgo Beach, once known as just another of Babylon's beaches facing the Atlantic, is now frequently linked with the discovery of human remains central to a serial killer case.
After years of stagnation, with suspicions of inadequate police investigation, the Gilgo Beach case recently gained a significant lead: Rex Heuermann was accused of murdering four women found at the beach and subsequently arrested.
NBC's true crime show 'Dateline' will delve into this complex case, heavily scrutinized by media over the past decade, in a special report titled 'The Hunt for the Gilgo Beach Killer', airing Friday, November 10, at 9 pm ET.
Discovery of multiple bodies along the Gilgo Beach
It was just a random search by a sniffer dog and a single detective that led to the major discovery of multiple buried bodies on the otherwise calm Gilgo Beach.
Most victims were women, with some identified as young individuals who had recently disappeared.
Notably, several were sex workers, a fact that became a crucial aspect of the unfolding case. Out of the 11 bodies found, four garnered particular media and investigative focus, known as the 'Gilgo Four'.
These victims, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, were found buried closer together compared to the others spread across the area.
Ongoing investigation zeroed in on suspect Rex Heuermann
Thirteen years into the investigation, police made a breakthrough arrest of 59-year-old architect Rex Heuermann.
The discovery was made by a DNA match found on a pizza consumed by Heuermann. He was arrested in July 2023 and has been on trial for the past few months.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to three of the four murders of the Gilgo women. He remains a prime suspect in Maureen's case.
Police investigators criticized for handling of Gilgo Beach killings
Cold cases are relatively common, particularly for crimes that happened years ago when technology and law enforcement were less advanced. Nowadays, with more sophisticated investigative tools, scrutiny often falls on the investigators themselves.
So was the case of the Gilgo Beach murders. Over the decade of stagnation in the Suffolk County police investigation, the media continued with an unofficial investigation and awareness campaign.
The Gilgo Beach murders were adapted into various documentaries, TV shows, and news coverage, and even inspired a book detailing the investigation.
Meanwhile, the police faced criticism for seemingly shifting blame onto the victims for their lack of caution, as per the NY Times.
The mother of Gilbert, one of the victims, accused the police of "botching" the investigation of her daughter's murder and those of the other women.
Robert Kolker's book 'Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery' received acclaim for its in-depth exploration of the Gilgo killings, offering more than just a cursory view of the victims as sex workers.
Kolker shared with CNN his astonishment at Heuermann's emergence as the potential killer, emphasizing how he had been "hiding in plain sight the entire time, a suspect with 92 gun permits."
