Law enforcement officials are preparing to announce new details on Monday regarding one of the victims from the Gilgo Beach killings, where remains were discovered over ten years ago along a coastal highway in Long Island, New York. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney mentioned in a statement that the task force investigating the killings will share updates on the ongoing investigation. Details on the specific victim were not immediately available as spokespersons for Tierney’s office did not respond to inquiries over the weekend.
Tierney informed Newsday that the upcoming discussion will include unveiling more detailed renderings of a male of Asian descent whose remains were found off Ocean Parkway in 2011. Investigators estimate that the unidentified man passed away between five to ten years before the discovery of his remains. Described as likely being in his late teens or early 20s, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall with short hair, the victim was found clothed in women’s attire and was believed to have been a sex worker.
Authorities plan to present new anthropological reconstructions of the victim in hopes of sparking new leads. A previous, more basic sketch of the victim was released in 2011. Due to the limited presence of DNA records from Asian individuals in U.S. genetic databases, the identification process through traditional means has been challenging, Tierney noted.
Despite years of investigation, no arrests have been made in connection with the victim’s death. However, Rex Heuermann, a local architect, stands accused in the killings of six women, some of whose remains were found near the unidentified man. Heuermann, 61, was charged in June regarding the deaths of two women, Jessica Taylor, who disappeared in 2003, and Sandra Costilla, who was killed in 1993.
The recent charges against Heuermann came after police searches of his residence and a wooded area on Long Island. Costilla’s connection to the case indicates that prosecutors now suspect Heuermann of perpetrating crimes against women for an extended period. Notably, Heuermann was previously charged with the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Beginning in late 2010, authorities have been investigating the deaths of around ten individuals, mostly female sex workers, whose remains were uncovered near Gilgo Beach. Heuermann, who resided nearby, was apprehended in July and maintains his innocence. His lawyer, Michael Brown, did not provide immediate comment in response to queries over the weekend.
