The Gilgo Beach serial killings were part of a series of murders spanning from the early s until Many of the victims' remains were found over a period of months in and during a police search of the area along Ocean Parkway , a road near the remote beach town of Gilgo on Long Island in Suffolk County, New York. The search was prompted by the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, who, like many of the known victims, worked as an escort and advertised on Craigslist.
The remains of four victims designated "The Gilgo Four" were found within a quarter of a mile of each other near Gilgo Beach in December Six more sets of remains were found in March and April in Suffolk and Nassau counties. Authorities believe Gilbert became lost in the marsh land and died either from exposure or accidental drowning. In July , Rex Andrew Heuermann, a year-old Nassau County resident, was arrested in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently charged with three counts of first-degree murder, as well as three counts of the lesser charge of second-degree murder, related to the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
Costilla's murder had not previously been linked to the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty on all counts. Heuermann is an architect and has lived much of his life in Massapequa Park on the south shore of Long Island. In an interview on YouTube, Heuermann stated he has worked in Manhattan since Court records also indicated that he had searched the internet for "sadistic materials, child pornography, [and] images of the victims and their relatives.
A potential match to Heuermann's wife was also found when comparing hair found on or near three of the victims to samples taken from bottles found in the trash outside the Heuermann residence. Investigators have stated that Heuermann's wife and children were out of the state each time the killings are believed to have occurred.
Sandra Costilla was a year-old woman from Trinidad and Tobago who was killed on November 19 or 20, In Rex Heuermann was charged with her murder. DNA from hairs found on her body matched Heuermann's, according to his indictment. Costilla was living in New York City at the time of her disappearance. Her body was found in November by hunters in a wooded area in North Sea, Long Island , approximately 60 miles northeast of Gilgo Beach.
