REX Heuermann was charged with the murder of seven women – four of whom were hidden at Gilgo Beach. 

As the court battle to bring him to justice continues, he has been divorced by his wife Asa Ellerup in a shocking split. 

A string of horrific killings

The Gilgo Beach killings took place between 1993 and 2011, though the remains of many of the victims were only discovered in 2010. 

The search was prompted by the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, an escort who advertised on Craigslist. 

She vanished on May 1, 2010, almost two decades before the killings began. 

Police discovered her body half a mile from where she was last seen, after a nineteenth month long search. 

The discovery of her body led to a police search which uncovered the bodies of four other women – Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.

Their bodies were found at the Long Island tourist spot of Gilgo Beach, giving the crime spree its name.

The perpetrator became known as the Long Island Serial Killer.

After the five women were discovered, the police began to connect the murderers together.

This led them to the New York City architect Rex Heuermann.

The first Gilgo Beach victim

The first Gilgo Beach murder victim was actually murdered in November 1993. 

Sandra Costilla is believed to have been killed on November 19 or 20.

For years, her death remained a mystery as she was discovered 60 miles north of Gilgo Beach. 

When the police finally connected her to the case, they discovered that her body was covered in traces of hair which they say belonged to Rex Heuermann. 

The killing continues

The next confirmed Gilgo Beach victim was Maureen Brainard-Barnes, one of the Gilgo Four who were discovered together. 

She vanished on July 9, 2007, after leaving her home state of Connecticut to “spend the day in New York City”. 

Maureen was a former telemarketer who had turned to sex work when she was unable to find further employment. 

After her disappearance, a mystery man phoned one of her friends and said that she was alive and staying at a “whorehouse in Queens”. 

The man gave no further details and refused to identify herself. 

Like many of the killer’s victims, Maureen was petite in stature and stood at 4ft 11 inches. 

The killer makes a chilling phone call

Melissa Barthelemy went missing almost two years after Maureen, in June 2009. 

Like Maureen, she worked as a sex worker and stood at 4 ft 10 inches. 

Before her disappearance, she went to see a client who had deposited $900 in her account.

She vanished shortly after and her sister Amanda began receiving sinister phone calls from a mystery man. 

The caller repeatedly asked if she was a “whore like her sister” before proudly proclaiming that her sister was dead. 

Police traced some of the calls to New York City but failed to locate the killer. 

The last of the Gilgo Four

Megan Waterman and Amber Lyn Costello both went missing during the summer of June 2010.

Both women had met a client before their death but a crucial detail in Amber’s case led the police to Heuermann. 

Amber’s flatmate gave a full description of the mysterious client as well as his distinctive Chevrolet Avalanche.

Heuermann faces justice

Eventually, the evidence discovered on Sandra Costilla’s body and the description of Heuermann led to his arrest in July 2023. 

He was charged with the murders of Maureen, Melissa, Sandra, Megan and Amber, as well as two additional women named Jessica Taylor and Valeria Mack. 

Both Jessica and Valeria are believed to have been murdered in the early 2000s and were just 20 and 24 years old, respectively.

At the time of his arrest, Heuermann had been working as an architect and was living in Manhattan – the alleged location of the threatening phone calls to Amber Barthelemy. 

Phone records also revealed that he had contacted three of the murder victims, according to police.

Heuermann has denied all charges and has not been convicted of a crime. 

As the trial went on, he was divorced by his wife Asa Ellerup on March 28, 2025. 

Asa had filed for divorce just six days after Heuermann’s arrest and moved to South Carolina with her two adult children. 

Despite their split, Asa and her daughter Victoria supported Heuermann at a pre-trial hearing that same morning.