The suspected Gilgo Beach killer, Rex Heuermann, who was recently arrested for the murders of three sex workers, is now being linked to another cold case in New Jersey. Authorities in Las Vegas have decided to test Heuermann’s DNA against DNA recovered in the case of Victoria Camara, a murdered sex worker from New Jersey.
Victoria Camara was a 17-year-old mother who turned to sex work to support herself and her baby girl. Her remains were found in the desert near Boulder City, Nevada, in August 2003. The Las Vegas Police Department’s DNA lab plans to conduct a direct comparison of Heuermann’s DNA with the DNA recovered in Camara’s murder case.
The results of the DNA test are not expected for another six to eight weeks, but Savannah Camara, Victoria’s daughter, expressed hope that it will provide the answers they have been looking for. Savannah wants justice for her mother, whose cold case has been reopened due to the suspected link to Heuermann.
Rex Heuermann and his estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, own a timeshare condo in Las Vegas, not far from the famous Strip. Ellerup filed for divorce just a week after Heuermann’s arrest for the murders of Megan Water, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello, who together with Maureen Brainard-Barnes are known as the Gilgo Four. Their bodies were discovered near Gilgo Beach in December 2010. Heuermann is also a prime suspect in Brainard-Barnes’ death.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. sees similarities between the cases his department has against Heuermann and the cold cases being reopened by the Las Vegas Police Department. He finds the similarities very scary, as the deaths, the victims’ occupations, and the type of women targeted all point to this one particular suspect.
Both law enforcement agencies are hoping that the DNA test will bring closure and justice to the victims and their families. The investigation into Rex Heuermann continues, with authorities working diligently to uncover any additional evidence that might tie him to other unsolved crimes.
