By In a significant development in the Gilgo Beach case, suspect Rex Heuermann has been charged with two additional murders, bringing the total number of his alleged victims to six women, with crimes now dating back to 1993. According to a court document unsealed on Thursday, Heuermann is accused of the 2003 murder of Jessica Taylor and the 1993 murder of Sandra Costilla, both of whose remains were found on Long Island.
The addition of these two cases significantly expands the timeline of Heuermann’s alleged crimes. Investigators have linked Heuermann to Taylor’s death through DNA evidence recovered from a surgical drape found underneath her body. Taylor, a sex worker in midtown Manhattan, was decapitated, and her arms were severed from her torso. Some of her remains were discovered in 2003, while her head, hands, and forearm were found in March 2011, close to where four of Heuermann’s other alleged victims were discovered in December 2010.
Phone records also showed that Heuermann’s wife and children were out of town when Taylor was killed, providing him with ample time to execute his plans without fear of being discovered by his family. Prosecutors noted that Heuermann had accessed a Newsday article about the discovery of Taylor’s remains.
DNA evidence also linked Heuermann to the murder of 28-year-old Sandra Costilla, whose body was found in a wooded area in North Sea, Long Island, in November 1993. Investigators discovered that pornographic images accessed by Heuermann largely coincided with how the remains of Taylor and Costilla were found.
During a search of Heuermann’s home, investigators recovered a planning document from one of 350 electronic devices. The document contained a checklist of tasks to package a body for transport, avoid leaving DNA traces, and other steps, including notes for “next time.” Heuermann also allegedly had a “post event” checklist, which appeared to be a list of tasks following a homicide to avoid apprehension, such as burning gloves, disposing of pictures taken of the victim, and having an alibi set.
Heuermann, an architect and father, was initially arrested in July and charged with murdering three escorts: Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy. In January, he was charged with the murder of a fourth escort, Maureen Brainard-Barnes. The remains of all four women were found in 2010 near Gilgo Beach, along with six additional sets of remains. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the four murders.
Investigators have continued to search Heuermann’s Long Island home as recently as May and have also searched a wooded area in Manorville on Long Island in April as part of the ongoing investigation.
