Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann charged with 7th murder
Rex Heuermann facing 7th murder charge
Prosecutors have officially charged accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann with a seventh murder, dating back more than two decades. The latest charge involves Valerie Mack, who was previously known as Jane Doe No. 6. FOX 5's Jodi Goldberg has the story.
LONG ISLAND - Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was charged with a seventh murder on Tuesday morning in the death of Valerie Mack.
Rex Heuermann update
Heuermann was arraigned in a Suffolk County court on a superseding indictment, adding a new charge of second-degree murder.
Heuermann is charged with killing six other women whose remains were found on Long Island. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
"The lives of these women matter. We, as investigators, understand that. No one understands that more than the families," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a news conference with Mack's parents and other victims' relatives.
Mack's parents didn't speak. But four other victims' relatives gave the Macks roses and hugs and, through an attorney, expressed their sadness and solidarity.
"They were, and they are, loved. And they are missed every day by those who knew them and who had a strong bond with them," said Gloria Allred, who represents the families of Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Megan Waterman.
Who was Valerie Mack?
Mack, 24, worked as an escort in Philadelphia under the alias "Melissa Taylor." She was last seen by her family in Port Republic, New Jersey, in the spring or summer of 2000, but was never reported missing.
Mack's partial skeletal remains were found on Mill Road in Manorville, Long Island, back in 2000. Additional remains were discovered in 2011 during the search for Shannan Gilbert on Ocean Parkway – more than 10 years later. They were unidentified until genetic testing revealed her identity in 2020.
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Rex Heuermann charged with Valerie Mack’s murder 24 years later. Who was she?
After more than two decades since Mack's remains were found, suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann has been charged with her murder.
Human hair found with Mack’s remains was sent for testing earlier this year and found to be a likely match with the genetic profile of Heuermann’s daughter, prosecutors said in court papers. His daughter is not accused of any wrongdoing and would have been 3 or 4 years old when Mack died.
"We are honored to prosecute this case on behalf of Valerie and her family," Tierney said.
Her parents told the Suffolk County DA that they were thankful for the "little bit of closure."
What are the Gilgo Beach murders?
The Gilgo Beach murders – the deaths of 11 people whose remains were found in 2010 and 2011 – have long stumped investigators.
Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers. Several of the bodies were found near the remote town of Gilgo Beach on the southern shore of Long Island.
What are the Gilgo Beach murders?
Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers. Several of the bodies were found near the town of Gilgo Beach.
Determining who killed them, and why, has vexed a slew of seasoned homicide detectives through several changes in police leadership.
The ‘Gilgo’ Four
The bodies of the "Gilgo Four" were located within a quarter-mile of one another near Gilgo Beach back in December 2010.
Gilbert, a 24-year-old sex worker, vanished on May 1, 2010. A police officer and his cadaver dog were looking for her body in the thicket along nearby Ocean Parkway when they happened upon the remains of a different woman. Within days, three other bodies were found, all within a short walk of one another.
Gilbert's disappearance and search is what ultimately led to the discovery of several remains in the area.