Latest news with #LongIslandSerialKiller
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
A New DNA Test Could Potentially Solve the Lindbergh Baby Mystery After 93 Years
This story is a collaboration with As the nation is gripped by the upcoming trial in the case of the 'Long Island Serial Killer,' a surprising breakthrough has come along regarding possible additional victims. Two bodies found 14 years apart near Long Island's Gilgo Beach have finally been identified—and even more shockingly, they're connected. A dismembered adult body found in Hempstead Lake State Park, which had commonly been referred to as 'Peaches' due to a tattoo of the fruit being one of the only defining characteristics to remain, has been identified through DNA analysis as 26-year-old Tanya Jackson. The body of a 2 year old child found roughly 20 miles away from Jackson has been identified as her daughter, Tatiana Dykes. Now, investigators are trying to determine how these two victims died, and if they are connected to killings suspect Rex Heuermann is currently accused of having committed. When a story of modern forensic technology leading to a breakthrough in a cold case comes along, it's common for historians and true crime enthusiasts alike to wonder what would have happened if this tech had been around during some of the more infamous crimes of past eras. It raises the question: Could the cutting-edge DNA analysis currently being deployed in the Gilgo Beach case have secured—or even overturned—the verdicts in some of the most infamous trials of the past century? According to a report in Long Island's Newsday, some believe it still could. In what was called the Crime of the Century, the child of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped and held for ransom on March 1, 1932. The child's dead body would ultimately be recovered not far from Lindbergh's New Jersey home from which they had first been absconded. A German immigrant named Bruno Hauptmann was ultimately convicted of the kidnapping in 1935 and subsequently executed. But with a trial that hinged on elements like analysis of the wood grain of a ladder, some observers (both then and now) have been unconvinced of Hauptmann's guilt—or, at the very least, are convinced Hauptmann did not act alone. Now, as Newsday notes, three of those doubters have come forward with a lawsuit, seeking to utilize the same modern DNA analysis technology deployed to identify the potential victims of the Gilgo Beach killings to re-examine 90-year-old evidence from the Lindbergh case. 'The plaintiffs want access to certain pieces of evidence—namely several envelopes that contain the original ransom notes,' Newsday wrote, '[...] so they can submit the stamps and adhesives for forensic testing to possibly identify others involved in the crime and prove a conspiracy.' An attorney for the plaintiffs, comprised of 'an American history professor at the University of Kansas, a retired New Jersey teacher, and a developmental psychologist,' hope to recover DNA from the adhesive materials in much the same manner as investigators were able to recover samples from the heavily degraded bodies on that Long Island beach. In a statement for the court filing, genetic genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick remarked that 'it has only been recently that DNA testing and analysis have evolved with the potential of testing those envelopes to produce definitive investigative leads that could resolve lingering uncertainties.' While not one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Fitzpatrick spoke to Newsday about the intended goal of the suit, stating that 'in essence, genetic genealogy could allow researchers to backtrack through public databases to find other modern-day relatives of any potential and long-dead coconspirators in the kidnapping.' She notes that DNA had previously been extracted from 19th century envelopes, so such an effort is not without precedent. The attorney who filed the complaint, Kurt W. Perhach, asserts that such analysis could clarify if Hauptmann had assistance in the crime, including (possibly) an accomplice close to the Lindbergh family. 'There are far too many circumstantial things [in] this case,' Perhach wrote, 'to have any possible belief that one strange person acted alone.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police Identify ‘Peaches,' ‘Baby Doe' Victims Found Near Gilgo Beach Dumping Ground
Police have identified two of the Jane Doe victims found along Gilgo Beach, New York — near the dumping ground of the Long Island Serial Killer — nearly 30 years after they were murdered. At a press conference Tuesday, Nassau County police identified 'Jane Doe No. 3' — known as 'Peaches' because of a tattoo of that fruit on her torso — as Tanya Denise Jackson, who was 26 at the time of her death. Jackson's torso was first found inside a Rubbermaid container at Hempstead Lake State Park in June 1997; 14 years later, her severed arms, legs, and head were found near Jones Beach State Park in 2011 amid the discovery of the confirmed LISK victims. More from Rolling Stone 'Gone Girls': Three Things We Learned From Netflix's New Long Island Serial Killer Doc 'Gone Girls': See New Trailer for Netflix's Long Island Serial Killer Docuseries Suspected Long Island Serial Killer Charged With Seventh Murder When police uncovered the Gilgo Beach dumping ground in late 2010 and early 2011, among the other victims was the body of an unidentified toddler they dubbed 'Baby Doe,' who DNA evidence later determined was the daughter of 'Peaches.' On Tuesday, Nassau police identified the toddler as two-year-old Tatiana Marie Dykes, who was born in Texas in 1995. At the time of their deaths, Jackson and her daughter were living in Brooklyn. Jackson served in the U.S. military, and was 'estranged' from her family, which authorities reasoned was why she was not reported missing in the years that followed. Additionally, Nassau police said they had identified Dykes' father, who 'has been cooperative' in the investigation. Nassau police cautioned that although Jackson and Dykes' bodies were found in proximity to the LISK victims, it's likely the cases are 'unrelated,' though the investigation remains active. Rex Heuermann, the man arrested in connection to the Long Island Serial Killer murders, is currently facing seven murder charges. He was originally arrested in July 2023 and charged with murdering three of the so-called 'Gilgo Four' victims, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. Charges pertaining to the fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, were brought in January of this year. In June 2024, authorities charged Heuermann with the murders of two additional victims, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. Taylor had been missing since 2003, and her partial remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach. But Costilla's partial remains were found in 1993 in the Hamptons, and her unsolved murder had not been previously associated with the Long Island Serial Killer investigation. In December, Heuermann was charged with the 2000 killing of Valerie Mack. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Best of Rolling Stone Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best The United States of Weed Gaming Levels Up
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Forbes
Where Is Rex Heuermann Now? The Latest On The Long Island Serial Killer's Trial
RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 25: Alleged Gilgo serial killer Rex Heuermann appears in Judge ... More Timothy Mazzei's courtroom at Suffolk County Court for a status conference on February 25, 2025 in Riverhead, New York. The 61-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of seven women between 1993 and 2011. (Photo by James Carbone-Pool/Getty Images) More than a decade after multiple bodies were discovered along Gilgo Beach in Long Island, N.Y., authorities finally identified a suspect following a lengthy investigation: Rex Heuermann. The Manhattan architect now stands accused of murdering seven women. So where is the alleged Long Island Serial Killer now, and what's the latest on his trial? The case against the Long Island Serial Killer has drawn increased media attention following the release of Netflix's new docuseries, Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer. The series delves into the years-long investigation that ultimately led to Heuermann's high-profile arrest in 2023, while also examining how the stigma surrounding the victims' work as escorts may have slowed the pace of the case. 'These family members were never going to give up. These women knew that there was a need to shake [up] the establishment to get attention for this case,' Director Liz Garbus told Netflix's Tudum. 'Of course, they shouldn't have [had] to work so hard. The system should work to protect them and should've protected their family members. But at the end of the day, their voices really mattered.' The three-episode documentary features interviews with journalists, law enforcement officials, and the victims' loved ones and those connected to the accused. It also includes reenactments designed to help viewers connect with the real people behind the headlines. As you watch, read on to learn what happened to the main suspect Rex Heuermann — including what he's accused of and where he is now in 2025. LONG ISLAND, NY - JULY 14: In this handout provided by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, Rex ... More Heuermann poses for his booking photo on July 14, 2023. Heuermann, 59, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Costello the following year, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney. He pleaded not guilty to the murders and a judge ordered he be held without bail. (Photo by Suffolk County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images) Rex Heuermann was born and raised on Long Island and attended Berner High School in Massapequa Park. Former classmates told The New York Times in 2023 that he had a troubled home life and was bullied for being a loner. One described him as 'everybody's punching bag" because he never fit in with any specific clique. Heuermann studied architectural technology at the New York Institute of Technology before launching his own architectural consulting firm in Manhattan. In the 1990s, he purchased his childhood home in Massapequa Park and married Asa Ellerup — though he later admitted in a deposition that he had been married once before. He, Ellerup, their daughter, and Heuermann's stepson have lived in the house ever since. According to the Long Island Press, neighbors described the family as distant and the home as creepy. 'The family is very to themselves, quiet,' neighbor Frankie Musto told the site. 'We never saw anything suspicious.' Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told CNN that when Ellerup and her daughter were informed about the crimes Heuermann was accused of, the pair were 'shocked, they were disgusted, they were embarrassed.' Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer Rex Heuermann is accused of murdering the Gilgo Beach Four — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes — all escorts in their early to mid-20s who disappeared between 2007 and 2010. Their bodies were discovered in December 2010, bound with belts or tape and wrapped in burlap, lying in close proximity along a stretch of Gilgo Beach. Following the discovery of the Gilgo Beach Four, police uncovered six additional sets of remains while searching for 24-year-old escort Shannan Gilbert. Gilbert had vanished after meeting a client she found on Craigslist in the community of Oak Beach, Long Island. Authorities said they did not believe her death was connected to the Gilgo Beach Four and suggested she may have gotten lost in the marshland and died from exposure or accidental drowning, according to People. BABYLON, NEW YORK - JULY 18: A general view of Gilgo Beach on July 18, 2023 in Babylon, New York. ... More Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old New York architect, has been charged with murdering three women and suspected in the death of a fourth. A total of 11 bodies, mostly women, have found along the remote beach area starting in 2010. (Photo by) The Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney's Office, working alongside the FBI and New York State Police, began surveilling Heuermann and his family for several months after identifying him as a suspect in early 2022. Authorities eventually tracked down Heuermann using his Chevrolet Avalanche. An eyewitness had previously reported seeing a Chevy Avalanche, later found to be registered to Heuermann, driving away from the area where Costello was last seen the day before she disappeared. The Chevrolet Avalanche ultimately led investigators to Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park and his office in Midtown Manhattan. Another key piece of evidence came when authorities observed Heuermann adding minutes to a burner phone, which matched the movements of burner phones used during the murders. Additionally, DNA recovered from a discarded pizza crust linked Heuermann to the crimes, matching his genetic profile to his wife's hair, which was found on several of the victims, according to Netflix's Tudum. In July 2023, Heuermann was arrested and charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello. Six months later, in January 2024, he was additionally charged with the murder of Brainard-Barnes. In 2024, Heuermann was also charged with the murders of two additional women killed a decade apart on Long Island: Sandra Costilla in 1993 and Jessica Taylor in 2003. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, DNA from hair found near both victims' remains, as well as evidence linked to his pickup truck, connected him to the killings, CBS reported. Several other bodies found in the Gilgo Beach area are also believed to be connected to the Long Island Serial Killer. RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK - JUNE 6: Alleged Gilgo serial killer Rex Heuermann appears in Suffolk County ... More court on June 6, 2024 in Riverhead, New York. Heuermann has now been charged with the murder of two more women. Heuermann's arrest came more than a decade after the disappearance of four women whose bodies were found within a quarter mile of each other along remote Gilgo Beach on Long Island's South Shore. (Photo by James Carbone-Pool/Getty Images) As of April 1, 2025, Heuermann is being held in a 60-square-foot cell at Riverhead Correctional Facility in Suffolk County, N.Y., as he awaits trial. While no official trial date has been set, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told ABC7 the case is 'heading toward the trial phase,' with Heuermann now facing a single indictment that includes seven murder charges. In a March 2025 exclusive interview with People, Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon Jr. shared that Heuermann has 'become more acclimated with jail life,' since entering the facility. 'For the most part, it just seems like this is a new way of life for him,' Toulon told the publication. 'In the beginning he was a little bit more starry-eyed as to his surroundings. Life has transformed over the last several months. He receives visits, he makes phone calls, and he doesn't congregate with the rest of the population because of the crimes he's accused of.' He continued, 'I think he lived this double life, and he used the anonymity of phones and computers to shield himself from the rest of society. Unfortunately for him — and fortunately for the rest of us — he wasn't successful.' Less than a week after Heuermann's arrest in 2023, his wife filed for divorce. However, she has since begun visiting him about once a week and is also participating in a multi-part documentary that will follow her journey throughout Heuermann's upcoming trial. 'Within the first three or four months [of his incarceration] she did not visit him,' he said. 'Maybe in the last two months she started visiting more frequently.' In late March, Heuermann and his wife finalized a divorce settlement. According to prosecutors from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Ellerup and the couple's children were out of town at the time the victims were killed, ABC7 reported. "She has a difficult time throughout this whole process believing the husband that she was married to for 29 years now was capable of committing these horrific acts," Ellerup's attorney Robert Macedonio said. 'It is even more concerning that her hair and her daughter's hair were found on some of these victims. So, this process is very important to getting closure for her and her family.' Gone Girls The Long Island Serial Killer is now streaming. Watch the official trailer below.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix Gone Girls: What happened to the Long Island Serial Killer?
A new documentary launched on Netflix today, March 31, that delves into the horrors of the Long Island Serial Killer who murdered at least ten people and deposited their bodies along the beach in Long Island. The three-part true crime documentary focusses on the disappearances and deaths of young women, primarily sex workers, which spanned from 1993 to 2011. It explores the systemic biases faced during the course of the investigation, particularly concerning the victims. Netflix's new documentary particularly highlights the efforts of the victims' families to put pressure on law enforcement to take the murder cases seriously. READ MORE: Former BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Nicola Adams splits with girlfriend after 'incredible journey' READ MORE: Dan Osborne sends 'lucky' Mother's Day tribute to EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa weeks after split The persistence of the victims' families led to a breakthrough in 2023 with the arrest of a man who was charged with multiple murders. But was he the Long Island Serial Killer? In the conclusion of Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, the breakthrough is revealed. The documentary explores how law enforcement finally targeted on Rex Heuermann, a local architect, and charged him with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes - otherwise known as the Gilgo Four. Inside the 30 year hunt for a serial killer who targeted sex workers. From Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus comes Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, premiering March 31 — Netflix (@netflix) March 12, 2025 As well as featuring interviews with law enforcement officials, friends and family members of the victims, it also features interviews with acquaintances of Heuermann. When looking into the community's reaction to Heuermann's arrest, neighbours were not surprised by the news because of his unfriendly demeanour and the rundown state of his home. The Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney's Office collaborated with the FBI and New York State Police in an extensive investigation that led to Heuermann's arrest. Initially, his car, a Chevrolet Avalanche, was matched to eyewitness descriptions of a car seen near the crime scenes. This led authorities to his residence in Massapequa Park and his office in Midtown Manhattan. But the essential breakthrough came when Heuermann was spotted adding credit on a burner phone which aligned with the mobile used during the crimes. Plus, his DNA matched a single hair found on one of the victims which solidified suspicions that he was connected to the murders. Rex Heuermann is currently being held at the Riverhead Correctional Facility in Suffolk County, N.Y., as he awaits trial. His case is still in its preliminary stages, but a special hearing was scheduled for March 28 to determine whether DNA evidence would be admissible in court, according to CBS News.
Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
This week's TV: Michelle Williams in ‘Dying for Sex,' Kevin Bacon in ‘The Bondsman,' and more
1. 'Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer' Today on Netflix: 'How would you feel if nobody came looking for you?' asks one concerned citizen, about the long-unsolved disappearances of multiple sex workers in Long Island's Suffolk County. What is the value of a human life, and how far will law enforcement go to pursue justice, are questions at the heart of this three-episode true-crime docuseries about the victims of the murderer who became known as the Long Island Serial Killer. The fiend discarded at least seven corpses at New York's Gilgo Beach during a killing spree that stretched from 1996 to 2011. Advertisement 2. 'The Bondsman' Thursday on Prime Video: 3. 'Pulse' Thursday on Netflix: Just when you thought it had flatlined, the medical show (whether drama or comedy) has returned on steroids. Following in the Crocs of 'Pitt,' 'Doc,' and 'St. Denis Medical,' along comes the fast-paced 10-episode series 'Pulse,' set in a hectic Miami trauma unit. The series' regulars include Justina Machado, Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, Jessie T. Usher, and Daniela Nieves, among many others, as medical professionals who compete and seduce between bedpan changes, open-heart surgeries, hurricanes, and power outages. Advertisement 4. 'Karma' Friday on Netflix: Catch the K-thriller tsunami with this action-packed South Korean series. Strangers — a nightmare-plagued physician, a debtor drowning in IOUs, a man tasked with doing the unthinkable, and an unjustly unemployed worker — are united by karma. The tension and action ratchets up in this crime story based on a web comic, as each character discovers their own darker instincts, and the horrible consequences of their individual actions bind them together in unspeakable secrets. 'Squid Game''s Park Hae-soo leads the ensemble. 5. 'An Evening with Elton John and Brandi Carlile' Sunday on CBS at 8 p.m. then streaming on Paramount+ the next day: The London Palladium (site of famous performances by Judy Garland and the Beatles) hosted a one-night-only concert recorded on March 26 by John and Carlile. The longtime friends perform songs from their new album, 'Who Believes in Angels?' The pre-taped one-hour primetime special will also include classic songs from both artists' set lists.
