The Gilgo Beach serial killings were a series of murders in Long Island, New York, which spanned from 1993 to 2011. Many of the victims’ remains were found over months in late 2010 and 2011 during a police search of the area after victim Shannon Gilbert ran from the house of a client. No one knows what prompted Ms. Gilbert to run early that morning, as she was not with the alleged killer. By all means, she appeared to be safe since she had her driver nearby. Gilbert frantically ran from house to house in Oak Beach, a gated community on the south shore, never to be seen alive again.
Gilbert’s disappearance triggered a firestorm of activity when, in December 2010, the remains of four victims, referred to as “The Gilgo Four,” were found a short distance from each other near Gilgo Beach. Six more sets of remains would ultimately be found in early 2011.
The body of Gilbert, a sex worker who advertised her services on Craigslist, was found a year after the discovery of “The Gilgo Four” in nearby marshland. Some believe that Gilbert became disoriented after running into the marsh and died from either weather exposure or accidental drowning, but her cause of death remains disputed.
The deaths remained unsolved until Rex Heuermann was arrested on July 13, 2023, when DNA was used to match Heuermann to hairs on belts, tape, and burlap found with the seven victims he is charged with murdering.
A green Chevrolet Avalanche truck, believed to be connected to the slayings, was seized at a property in Chester, South Carolina, in Late July 2023.
Heuerman was charged with murdering seven women: the Gilgo Four – Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes – along with Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr