(NewsNation) — Long Island architect Rex Heuermann has been charged with the deaths of four women known as the Gilgo Four, whose bodies were among several found on Gilgo Beach.
Heuermann’s arrest came decades after the women disappeared and their bodies were found. Investigators used familial DNA to help lead them to Heuermann. Searches of his home revealed a number of items taken as potential evidence.
Heuermann is being held in a Suffolk County, New York, jail pending his trial. Here is a timeline of key moments in the case.
Maureen Brainard-Barnes disappears
July 9, 2007: Maureen Brianard-Barnes is last seen in a hotel in Manhattan. The 25-year-old had traveled there from Norwich, Connecticut, to see a client she had met on Craigslist. She was reported missing several days later.
The mother of two was a sex worker who advertised on Craigslist and Backpages and usually went with a female friend to call for safety. The weekend she disappeared, the friend had left early and returned home ahead of Brainard-Barnes.
Melissa Barthelemy disappears
July 12, 2009: Melissa Barthelemy is last seen in the Bronx, outside her apartment. Barthelemy, 24, was headed for a $1,000 date the next night with a client in Long Island, New York. After she disappeared, her sister received calls from a man who used Barthelemy’s phone and said he had killed her.
Barthelemy had moved to New York with dreams of becoming a hairdresser. She eventually began working as an exotic dancer and eventually as an escort, something her family speculated she did to make ends meet.
Shannan Gilbert disappears
May 1, 2010: While Heuermann is not charged with Gilbert’s death, it was her disappearance that would lead to the discovery of all the remains. Gilbert, 23, called 911 saying people were trying to kill her after leaving a client’s house. She was also seen banging on doors yelling for help.
Megan Waterman disappears
June 6, 2010: Megan Waterman, 22, was staying at a hotel in Hauppauge, New York, and was last seen walking toward a nearby convenience store.
Police described Waterman as a victim of sex trafficking and her family said the single mother had been taken to New York by her boyfriend.
Amber Lynn Costello disappears
Sept. 2, 2010: Amberlyn Costello, 27, was last seen by her roommate as she left for a date with a client who offered her $1,500 for a date. The client had called three or four times, asking for a date with her.
Costello had previously struggled with drug use before going to rehab. Her male housemate often went with her on outcalls for safety.
Melissa Barthelemy’s remains found
Dec. 11, 2010: Investigators searching for Shannan Gilbert find the first set of remains along Giglo Beach. The skeletal remains are eventually identified as Melissa Barthelemy.
Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman’s remains found
Dec. 13, 2010: In the continuing search for Gilbert, three sets of remains are found not far from Waterman. They are eventually identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello and Megan Waterman. Police would continue to search the beach into 2011, finding several additional sets of remains, which have not been officially linked to Heuermann.
Gilgo Four identified
Jan. 24, 2011: Investigators announce the identities of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amberlynn Costello and Melissa Barthelmey, following the release of Megan Waterman’s identity a few days before. The four women, all sex workers, would come to be known as the Gilgo Four.
Giglo Beach Murders Task Force formed
February 2022: Investigators form a task force to investigate the Gilgo Beach victims. The multiagency task force identified Rex Heuermann as a possible suspect in March 2022.
Investigators begin to surveil Heuermann and gather evidence to support their case. One key element is DNA evidence collected from the family’s garbage, including DNA taken from a piece of pizza crust. Other evidence includes cell phone data and credit card information.
Rex Heuermann arrested
July 13, 2023: Rex Heuermann is taken into custody and charged with the deaths of Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy.
Rex Heuermann’s home searched
July 25, 2023: Police conclude a search of the Heurmann home and property, finding what they described as a lot of evidence.
Rex Heuermann charged with fourth death
Jan. 16, 2024: Heuermann is charged with the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
