CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – An architect accused in a series of murders known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings faced new charges Tuesday in the death of a fourth woman. Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a Connecticut mother of two who disappeared in 2007, is the latest victim tied to the suspect.
Rex Heuermann was already labeled as the prime suspect in the deaths of three other women when he was arrested in July. He pleaded not guilty in Brainard-Barnes’ death, as he had done in the other cases, and is due back in court next month.
The victims, including Brainard-Barnes, had been linked to the sex trade industry, and were all reported missing between 2007 and 2010. Their remains were found along the same stretch of parkway in the Gilgo Beach area of Jones Beach Island.
Investigators zeroed in on Heuermann when a new task force ran an old tip about a Chevy Avalanche pickup through a vehicle records database. A hit came back identifying one of those make and models belonging to Heuermann, who lived in a neighborhood police had been focusing on because of cellphone location data and call records, authorities said.
The superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday also further distanced Heuermann’s ex-wife and children from the case, according to the ex-wife’s attorney. It shows they were away when each of the four victims was killed. Heuermann’s lawyer said he has denied committing the crimes.
The case has prompted authorities to reexamine cold cases in the area, and the investigation has involved advanced DNA testing and detailed analysis of cellphone records and email aliases.
The Suffolk County District Attorney and law enforcement officials planned a news conference following Tuesday’s court hearing to provide further updates on the case.