Police are set to identify another victim in the long-running Gilgo Beach killings, a case that has gripped New York since 2010. The announcement is expected to be made at a news conference on Friday, as the investigation by the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force continues.
The Gilgo Beach case involves the discovery of 11 sets of human remains in or near Ocean Parkway on Long Island. While most of the remains have been identified, there are still some unidentified victims. The woman expected to be identified on Friday is believed to be Jane Doe Seven, whose remains were found in Davis Park on Fire Island in 1996. DNA evidence later linked her to another set of remains discovered in Nassau County on April 11, 2011.
The discoveries of the remains of multiple sex workers around Gilgo Beach have left the community on edge for years. After more than a decade of investigation, Rex Heuermann was arrested on July 13 and charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. Heuermann is also a prime suspect in the disappearance of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who went missing in 2007. The group of women is known as the Gilgo Four. All of the victims were sex workers who advertised online.
Heuermann, a 59-year-old Manhattan architect, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently being held without bail. Prosecutors have requested that he provide buccal samples, which would help establish his identity and compare his DNA to evidence collected from the crime scenes. Investigators have already linked Heuermann to the crimes through DNA found on discarded pizza that was allegedly used to wrap one of the victims’ bodies.
The case has garnered significant attention, with Heuermann’s attorney maintaining his client’s innocence and vowing to go to trial. The next pre-trial conference hearing is set for September 27.
As the investigation into the Gilgo Beach killings continues, the identification of Jane Doe Seven represents another step towards unraveling the mystery and bringing justice to the victims and their families. The news conference on Friday is expected to shed more light on this disturbing case and provide new information to the public.
