The suspect arrested on Friday in connection with a series of long-unsolved women’s slayings on Long Island, New York, lived in a pleasant South Shore suburb not far from the seaside highway where human remains were discovered more than a decade ago.
Rex Heuermann, 59, of Massapequa Park, a town in Nassau County, was named as the suspect by four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the case.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison did not name the suspect during a news conference Friday, but said he was apprehended in midtown Manhattan on Thursday night and taken to Suffolk County.
It was unclear whether Heuermann had an attorney. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office stated that there had been a “significant development in the case,” but declined to elaborate until after a court appearance later Friday.
The case perplexed authorities for years when the discovery of human remains on Gilgo Beach in 2010 led to the discovery of as many as 16 victims, many of whom were recognised sex workers. Police suspect that some of those deaths are the work of a serial killer.
Who exactly is Rex Heuermann?
On Friday, authorities cordoned off Heuermann’s Massapequa Park home. Officials in hazmat gear were spotted entering the modest single-story home, which is located on a block of larger, well-kept homes. In addition to Heuermann’s offices in midtown Manhattan, investigators were searching the property.
Some neighbours claimed to have had brief encounters with Heuermann and his family over the years, but that they mostly kept to themselves.
Heuermann was described as a “tall, big, big guy.” “Patrica Maressa, 64, who has lived next door to Heuermann’s house for more than two decades, is always well dressed.”
“I’m still shocked that this is going on,” she remarked, adding that “it’s a very quiet neighbourhood.” You could hear a pin drop at night.”
Heuermann’s residence is often mentioned in conjunction with his company, RH Consultants & Associates. He earned his architectural licence in 1996, and according to New York state records, he has no pending enforcement actions.
According to an online profile, among his clients have been Catholic Charities, New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, American Airlines, and other significant tenants at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Heuermann described himself as an architectural consultant and “troubleshooter,” born and raised on Long Island and working in Manhattan since 1987, in an interview from his Manhattan office aired on YouTube by Bonjour Realty in early 2022. He discussed the guts and bolts of his trade, as well as how he educated city organisations on local architectural codes.
When questioned about the traits required for someone in his position, he stated, “I don’t like to use the word tolerance, but sometimes you have to.” It isn’t simply with the city. It’s also with the client, because most clients don’t comprehend what I need to do, why I need to do it, and how long it takes to complete.”
Heuermann also spoke about how to build furniture from his father, an aerospace engineer who built satellites.
“I build furniture at home and still do so in the same exact workshop,” he explained. “I have one tool that I use for almost every job, and it’s a cabinet maker’s hammer.” It is convincing enough when I need to persuade something
“Not someone?” inquired the interviewer.
“Something,” Heuermann explained, “and it always yields excellent results.”
According to at least one individual who knows Heuermann, his arrest contradicts the man she has grown to know through monthly networking sessions.
“I knew him as a friend and coworker. “And I’m completely surprised,” the woman added, adding that she last chatted with him over Zoom on Tuesday.
“He was extremely well-organized.” “He was extremely friendly,” she remarked. “I did not see this coming.”
Billy Baldwin and Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Accused Rex Heuermann Was a High School Classmate
Billy Baldwin, Alec Baldwin’s brother, couldn’t believe the name of the person he saw arrested in connection with Long Island’s infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings on Friday. Rex Heuermann, who reportedly murdered four women 13 years ago, used to attend Berner High School, which he and Alec Baldwin both attended. “Woke up this morning to learn that the Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect was my high school classmate Rex Heuermann,” Baldwin wrote on Twitter. Heuermann graduated in 1981, and the Long Island hamlet of Massapequa is “in shock” over the “mind-boggling” news, according to him. According to the New York Post, Heuermann was identified through DNA matching. “23andMe strikes again???” Baldwin penned a piece.
