This story aired on June 15, 2024, and was updated on April 12, 2025. Near the quiet Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York, investigators discovered the hidden remains of four young women. The mystery of their identities and how they ended up there might have remained unsolved if not for Shannan Gilbert.
In the early hours of May 1, 2010, 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert, working as an escort, called 911 for help as she felt someone was pursuing her in a neighborhood close to Gilgo Beach. Shannan frantically sought assistance, but the call abruptly ended, and she vanished. Months passed without any trace of her until December 2010 when human remains were found near Gilgo Beach. Initially thought to be Shannan, the remains turned out to be of four other women – Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, all in their twenties, online escorts, and of petite stature. Three of them were found wrapped in burlap, earning them the moniker “Gilgo Four.”
The case has been covered by “48 Hours” since 2010, featuring interviews with families and friends of the victims. Missy Cann vividly recalls the heartbreaking moment she learned her sister Maureen was identified as one of the victims. Maureen, a devoted mother of two, disappeared in July 2007 after turning to escort work. Melissa Barthelemy, 24, another victim, vanished in July 2009 from midtown Manhattan, leaving her family devastated.
The disappearances of these women from New York City to Long Island became crucial clues in the search for a serial killer.
Police suspect that the man who made phone calls from Melissa’s cell phone is her killer. Melissa, a former hairdresser from Buffalo turned escort in New York City, went missing and her 15-year-old sister began receiving calls from Melissa’s phone shortly after. The caller taunted her, claiming responsibility for Melissa’s death. The family’s lawyer believes the killer will make a mistake and be caught. The calls led police to midtown Manhattan, where they believed the killer was located.
One of the victims found near Gilgo Beach was Megan Waterman, a 22-year-old mother who disappeared from a Long Island hotel. Her daughter, Liliana, expressed her longing for her mother, describing her as creative but troubled, and keen on fashion. Megan vanished while working as an escort and cellphone records placed her in Massapequa Park before her disappearance.
Amber Costello, 27, disappeared in September 2010 after leaving her Long Island home to meet a client. Her roommate, Dave Schaller, described Amber as small in stature, struggling with drug addiction, and turning to sex work for support. Schaller shared information about her clients with the police, including one who offered her a substantial amount of money on the night she vanished.
Dave Schaller described the client as incredibly persistent, calling multiple times and engaging in lengthy conversations with Amber, an experienced escort. The client convinced Amber to do something she had never done before – leave without her purse or cellphone to meet him in his car. Schaller recounted walking Amber out the front door, where she hugged him and said, “I love ya,” before disappearing down the street, never to be seen again that night.
Schaller suspected that he had seen the client before, but didn’t get a clear look at his face that night. It would take over a decade for Schaller’s description to lead to a breakthrough in the case and identify a prime suspect – Rex Heuermann.
Rex Heuermann, a New York City architect, was charged with murder, shocking his coworkers Mary Shell and Muriel Henriquez. Despite working closely with Heuermann, neither of them imagined he could be capable of such crimes. In July 2023, authorities announced Heuermann as the prime suspect in the Long Island serial killer case, linking him to the deaths of several women, including Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann, a married man with children, lived just minutes away from Gilgo Beach and worked in Manhattan, with connections to the locations where the victims were last seen. Police believed he committed the murders during trips, including visits to his wife’s family in Iceland. Despite the accusations, Heuermann maintained his innocence through his lawyer, denying any involvement in the killings.
After asking his wife to bring back a sweater from a trip to Iceland, Henriquez, who was moved by Heuermann’s considerate request at the time, now ponders whether his wife’s absence during that summer presented him with an opportunity to harm Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who went missing on July 9, 2007. When Erin Moriarty questioned her about the sweater, Muriel Henriquez made it clear that she would not wear it anymore. Despite this, she didn’t notice anything concerning about the Rex Heuermann she interacted with daily. She described him as somewhat of a nerd who enjoyed discussing his knowledge, not a narcissist, but someone who seemed to think he knew everything. She recalled him rushing to and from work sites while eating fast food, with pizza being his favorite. Upon learning that the police had found nearly 300 firearms in a vault in Heuermann’s basement, she was only surprised by the quantity, as she knew he was an enthusiastic hunter. She speculated that he enjoyed the competitive aspect of hunting and the thrill of claiming a prize. While she never considered him dangerous, she did recall a moment when his ability to track her unnerved her during a cruise vacation for her 40th birthday. He left a note under her door, proving he could locate her anywhere. Mary Shell, who worked for Heuermann in 2010, shared how he spoke about meat and the long shelf life of bear meat in freezers, which took on a chilling resonance upon learning that some victims were wrapped in burlap typically used by hunters. Mary also recounted instances where female employees were not treated respectfully, with some being tasked with cleaning toilets or facing inappropriate comments about their bodies. John Parisi, who knew Heuermann from childhood, described him as a loner who was bullied by his peers. Despite his size and potential to retaliate, Heuermann never fought back, and his difficulties with girls continued into adulthood.
As he grew up, it appeared that he lingered in an awkward stage longer than expected. Despite this, many in the community struggle to believe that Heuermann is the infamous serial killer who led a double life for over a decade. John Parisi recalls people’s shock upon learning that they had unknowingly interacted with a killer in their town. Actor Billy Baldwin, another former classmate, expressed disbelief on social media when the news surfaced.
The once awkward teenager from Long Island transformed into a confident and accomplished architect. Antoine Amira, a hotel food and beverage manager in New York, met with Heuermann for an interview in 2022. He found Heuermann to be a skilled architect and consultant who excelled at navigating building permits for clients. While Heuermann was known for his intelligence and ability to exploit loopholes in regulations, he rarely displayed a smile, even during his signature sunglass selfies with guests.
If the authorities are correct, Heuermann successfully concealed his life as a serial killer, with his routine pizza consumption ultimately leading to his downfall. Following the formation of a new task force led by Suffolk County police commissioner Rodney Harrison and Suffolk County D.A. Ray Tierney, Heuermann was identified as a suspect within six weeks. Critical clues buried in the original case files were finally connected by the task force, including information provided by Amber’s roommate, Dave Schaller, regarding a suspicious client driving a first-generation Chevy Avalanche. This client had repeatedly called Amber using a burner phone before her disappearance in 2010.
A prepaid phone available for purchase by anyone for anonymous use was linked to Maureen, Melissa, and Megan just before their disappearances. Teaming up with the FBI in 2012, investigators traced most of the calls to cell towers within a specific area of Massapequa Park, referred to as “the box.” When asked about the size of this area, Ray Tierney described it as a couple of blocks within Massapequa Park. Following this revelation, a new task force zeroed in on a well-built man residing in that vicinity who owned a Chevy Avalanche around the time of the disappearances.
As investigators delved deeper, they discovered that this man, Rex Heuermann, was consistently in the same vicinity as the burner phones used to contact victims in Massapequa Park and midtown Manhattan. Surveillance revealed Heuermann’s use of burner phones, with investigators documenting his involvement through various email accounts under aliases like John Springfield, Thomas Hawk, and Hunter1903a3, all associated with the burner numbers. Prosecutors also alleged that Heuermann used a burner phone to engage in illicit activities, including soliciting sexual encounters and viewing disturbing content.
Further incriminating evidence emerged when detectives found a male hair in the burlap material used to transport Megan Waterman’s body, seeking to match it to Heuermann’s DNA. Following Heuermann’s movements, authorities obtained his DNA from a discarded pizza box in midtown Manhattan. Analysis confirmed a match between Heuermann’s DNA from the pizza crust and the hair found with Megan Waterman, a DNA profile exceedingly rare in the general population.
ey: It was an extraordinary day. It happened on the weekend when we received the report. We went over it multiple times and then started making calls. With the DNA evidence, search histories, and burner phone records, the team felt it was time to take action.
Ray Tierney: The decision to move forward with the case was sudden. We observed him contacting sex workers using a burner phone, which raised concerns. Plainclothes officers apprehended him near his office.
Rodney Harrison: He seemed unaware that we were onto him. Police searched Heuermann’s home for 12 days, finding guns in the basement and conducting a thorough search of the backyard. They are currently analyzing the evidence found.
REPORTER 1 (at news conference): Has the search yielded results?
RODNEY HARRISON: Yes, it has.
REPORTER 2: Can you provide more details on the results?
RODNEY HARRISON: We have obtained items that are significant to the case, indicating a fruitful search. Another crucial piece of evidence, a first-generation Chevy Avalanche owned by Heuermann, was recovered from his property in South Carolina.
RAY TIERNEY (at news conference): We seized the Chevy Avalanche under a search warrant and will be examining it closely. Additionally, unidentified female hairs were discovered on the victims, raising questions about their origin.
THE FAMILY OF A SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER
Following Rex Heuermann’s arrest, his neighborhood in Massapequa Park was inundated with investigators and media attention, focusing on his family members: stepson Christopher Sheridan, daughter Victoria Heuermann, and his wife of over 25 years, Asa Ellerup.
Bob Macedonio: Their lives will forever be marked by being associated with a suspected serial killer. Ellerup, who has filed for divorce from Heuermann, was blindsided by the accusations.
Bob Macedonio: She was unaware of any wrongdoing. The allegations were shocking, and no one wants to believe they lived with a serial killer for decades.
Ellerup unknowingly may have played a role in directing the investigation towards her husband, as strands of her hair were found on two victims. Authorities have identified DNA profiles linking the hairs to Ellerup, although she was out of town during the murders. Investigators believe the transfer of hair could explain its presence on the victims.
Ellerup has not been charged or implicated in any of the crimes.
Heuermann’s wife’s involvement in this matter was questioned by Ray Tierney, who stated that there is no evidence to suggest her involvement. Despite the public scrutiny faced by Ellerup, she has received support from individuals who understand her situation all too well. Kerri Rawson, the daughter of notorious serial killer Dennis Rader (BTK), tweeted in support of Ellerup and her children, acknowledging them as victims. Melissa Moore, the daughter of serial killer Keith Jesperson (the “Happy Face Killer”), also reached out to Ellerup and set up a GoFundMe page that raised over $50,000 to help with medical bills as Asa battles breast and skin cancer. Due to Rex Heuermann being the family’s sole provider, Ellerup will soon lose her health insurance. Ellerup’s children, Victoria and Christopher, have also faced challenges as they are now unemployed, leaving Ellerup struggling to support them while trying to rebuild her life. Despite the difficulties, Ellerup expresses gratitude for the support she has received. She and her children continue living in their damaged house in Massapequa Park, serving as a constant reminder of the heinous crimes her estranged husband is accused of. Rex Heuermann, the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, denies involvement in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. Investigators are left wondering if there could be more victims if Heuermann is indeed a killer.
Are there any more bodies that need investigating? In 2011, additional bodies were discovered along Ocean Parkway following the Gilgo Four case. Among the victims found were Jessica Taylor, a missing escort from 2003, and Valerie Mack, also an escort previously known as “Jane Doe #6.” Other discoveries included a toddler girl, an Asian male in women’s clothing, the skull of Karen Vergata who disappeared in 1996, and female remains of a victim nicknamed Peaches. DNA evidence confirmed that Peaches was the mother of the toddler found. None of these victims have been connected to Heuermann. Investigations have expanded to Las Vegas and South Carolina, where Heuermann owns property, and new leads are being pursued in missing women cases. Nikkie Brass recalled an encounter with Heuermann and shared unsettling details, claiming she may have narrowly escaped a dangerous situation. More women have come forward with possible connections to the Gilgo Beach murders suspect. John Ray, who represents Shannan Gilbert’s family, is now also representing Brass. Gilbert’s own tragic death near Gilgo Beach remains a mystery, with conflicting theories about the circumstances leading to her demise. The hope is that progress in the case will bring long-awaited closure to the families of the victims.
Standing with them were feelings of justice and peace. Ray Tierney has developed a deep connection with the families, finding inspiration and admiration in their resilience. Legend has it that Gilgo Beach was named after a skilled fisherman named Gil, who once navigated the silver-gray waters as his secret hunting ground. However, today the beach is notorious for a different kind of hunter – a serial killer whose chilling presence still lingers in the ocean air.
On January 16, 2024, Rex Heuermann was charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, six months after his arrest. Subsequently, on June 6, 2024, he was charged with the 1993 murder of Sandra Costilla and the 2003 murder of Jessica Taylor. Finally, on December 17, 2024, he was charged with the 2000 murder of Valerie Mack. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
This production was brought to you by a team of dedicated individuals including Betsy Shuller, Mary Ann Rotondi, Lauren A. White, Sarah Prior, Richard Fetzer, and James Stolz. Gregory McLaughlin served as the producer-editor, with Sara Ely Hulse, Michelle Fanucci, Elena DiFiore, David Dow, and Cindy Cesare as development producers. Field producers included Charlotte A. Fuller, Anthony Venditti, and Shaheen Tokhi. Editing was handled by Atticus Brady, Doreen Schechter, Marlon Disla, Grayce Arlotta-Berner, Marcus Balsum, and Michael Vele, with associate producers Morgan Canty and Dylan Gordon. Senior producers were Patti Aronofsky and Lourdes Aguiar, while Nancy Kramer served as the executive story editor and Judy Tygard as the executive producer.
