Gilgo Beach update: New DNA evidence links Rex Heuermann to murders

New DNA evidence has tied Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann to a discarded pizza crust – and, in turn, one of the three women he is accused of murdering.

The 59-year-old architect and married father-of-two appeared in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday morning for a pre-trial conference in the case that has rocked Long Island for more than a decade.

Sporting a new shorter haircut, the suspected killer looked on as prosecutors unveiled further damning evidence linking him to the murders since his arrest in July.

A cheek swab had been taken from Mr Heuermann following a court order last month.

Rex Heuermann was tied to the murders through DNA found on one of the victims.

In court documents following his 13 July arrest, prosecutors said that a male hair had been found on the burlap used to wrap Megan Waterman’s body before the killer dumped her along Gilgo Beach.

When the hair was first retrieved in 2010, it was unsuitable for DNA analysis, according to the court documents.

But that hair was kept safely locked away and was submitted for analysis in 2020. A DNA profile came back.

Now, to check if it matched Mr Heuermann, investigators needed his DNA to compare the samples.

This January, a surveillance team watching the suspect saw him chuck a pizza box into the trash close to his office in Manhattan. They nabbed the box and found a leftover pizza crust inside.

The forensics came back: it was Mr Heuermann’s hair found on Waterman’s body, prosecutors said.

In the court hearing, prosecutors said that a DNA sample taken from Rex Heuermann since his arrest has now tied him further to one of the murders.

A cheek swab was taken from the 59-year-old accused killer following a court order last month.

Now, prosecutors say the swab matches DNA found on a discarded pizza crust – and in turn a victim’s body.

The pizza crust had been seized from a trash can outside Mr Heuermann’s office in Midtown Manhattan.

It was then tested and found to be a match to a hair found on the body of Megan Waterman.

In the court hearing, prosecutors told the judge that they had handed over thousands of pages of evidence so far in the case.

Rex Heuermann is charged with the murders of three women whose remains were found along the shores of Gilgo Beach in December 2010.

His affidavit states that he was tied to the case thanks to a pimp’s tip about his pickup truck, a stash of burner phones and DNA evidence – obtained through his wife’s hair and a pizza crust.

Now, another 8,000 pages of discovery have been turned over since the last court date in August and another 5,000 pages this morning as the state builds its case against the accused killer, reported News12.

Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann continued to show “disturbing” behaviour right up until his arrest for the murders of three women, according to the top investigator on the case.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told Newsday in August that he also wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Mr Heuermann may have been “preparing to kill again” at the time of the arrest.

Mr Harrison said that law enforcement saw some concerning actions from the married father-of-two while he was under surveillance before his arrest last month.

“I can’t talk about if he was preparing to kill again,” he said.

“He’s somebody that was still engaging in activity that was disturbing, be it his internet searches, be it engaging in other activities that he shouldn’t be engaging in.”

Commissioner Harrison added that he was “very, very passionate” about keeping eyes on Mr Heuermann up until his arrest because “we need to see what his lifestyle is”.

The accused killer had been on the radar of Long Island police for months – not long after the newly-appointed commissioner launched a new taskforce to crack the unsolved Gilgo Beach serial killer case back in January 2022.

After surveilling him for months, officers swooped on the architect as he left his office in Manhattan on 13 July.

Rex Heuermann will return to court in New York today where he faces charges for the murders of three women whose bodies were found dumped along the shores of Long Island.

The 59-year-old architect is scheduled to appear in Suffolk County Court for a pre-trial conference at 9.30am on Wednesday morning.

At the hearing, Justice Timothy Mazzei could rule on a motion seeking to return the accused killer’s stash of guns to his family.

Prosecutors and the defence will also discuss other matters surrounding evidence in the case.

His Manhattan business describes him as a registered architect with over 30 years’ experience.

His neighbours describe him as a “family man” living with his wife and two children in a tight-knit community in Suffolk County.

But now authorities are describing him as the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer who unleashed terror along the shores of Long Island more than a decade ago.