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Illustrative
The Gilgo Beach serial killings refer to a series of murders on Long Island, New York, that took place between 1993 and 2010. The case drew national attention in late 2010 and 2011 after police, searching for missing woman Shannan Gilbert, discovered the remains of ten victims along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach and in nearby areas of Suffolk and Nassau counties. Four victims found in close proximity in December 2010—Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello—became known as the "Gilgo Four." Six additional sets of remains were located in March and April 2011, several of which were later connected to earlier unsolved cases, including those of Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Karen Vergata, and an unidentified victim referred to as "Asian Doe." Two further sets of remains, belonging to Tanya Jackson and her daughter Tatiana Dykes, were initially included in the investigation but were later determined by police to be part of a separate case.
Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old escort, disappeared on May 1, 2010, after making a panicked 911 call from Oak Beach, New York, and running from house to house seeking help. Her remains were found in a nearby marsh in December 2011. Her cause of death has been officially ruled an accidental drowning, though the ruling has been disputed, including by an independent autopsy that noted damage to her hyoid bone. Her death has not been conclusively linked to the other victims, and no one has been charged in connection with it.
The investigation spanned more than a decade and involved friction between agencies, including allegations that a former Suffolk County police chief obstructed FBI involvement; he was later convicted on unrelated federal charges. In 2017, a Suffolk County prosecutor suggested that a man previously convicted of murdering two sex workers in the area might be responsible for some of the Gilgo Beach killings, though his attorney rejected the claim and he has not been charged in this case.
Authorities identified Rex Heuermann, a Manhattan architectural consultant living in Massapequa Park, as a suspect in March 2022 after a vehicle registered to him matched a witness description. Cellphone records, an email account, DNA from a discarded pizza crust matched to hair on a victim's wrapping, and DNA linked to his wife found on hair near other victims were cited by investigators as connecting him to the killings. Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 and charged over time with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack. In April 2026 he pleaded guilty to all seven charged murders and admitted to an eighth, the killing of Karen Vergata. He was sentenced in June 2026 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Separately, in December 2025, a man was charged in connection with the deaths of Tanya Jackson and her daughter Tatiana Dykes after investigators concluded those deaths were not connected to the broader Gilgo Beach case.
Gilgo Beach / Ocean Parkway, Long Island, New York
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1993-11-19
Sandra Costilla last seen in New York City.
1993-11-20
Remains of Sandra Costilla found in North Sea, New York.
1996-02-14
Karen Vergata last seen.
1996-04-20
Partial, then-unidentified remains of Karen Vergata found on Fire Island, New York.
1997-06-28
Partial, then-unidentified remains of Tanya Jackson found at Hempstead Lake State Park, Lakeview, New York.
2000-11-19
Partial, then-unidentified remains of Valerie Mack found in Manorville, New York.
2003-07-21
Jessica Taylor last seen near Port Authority Bus Terminal, Manhattan.
2003-07-26
Partial remains of Jessica Taylor found in Manorville, New York.
2007-07-09
Maureen Brainard-Barnes last seen in Manhattan.
2009-07-12
Melissa Barthelemy last seen in the Bronx.
2010-05-01
Shannan Gilbert calls 911 and disappears from Oak Beach, New York.
2010-06-06
Megan Waterman last seen in Hauppauge, New York.
2010-09-02
Amber Lynn Costello last seen in West Babylon, New York.
2010-12-11
Remains of Melissa Barthelemy found along Ocean Parkway.
2010-12-13
Remains of Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes found along Ocean Parkway.
2011-03-29
Further partial remains of Jessica Taylor found along Ocean Parkway.
2011-04-04
Remains of Valerie Mack, an unidentified victim known as 'Asian Doe,' and Tatiana Dykes found near Ocean Parkway.
2011-04-11
Further partial remains of Tanya Jackson and Karen Vergata found in Nassau County.
2011-12-13
Remains of Shannan Gilbert found in a marsh near Oak Beach.
2012-05-04
Suffolk County medical examiner rules Shannan Gilbert's death an accidental drowning.
2020-05-28
Police announce forensic identification of remains as Valerie Mack.
2022-05-23
Recording of Shannan Gilbert's 911 call released.
2023-07-14
Rex Heuermann charged in the murders of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Costello, and named a suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
2023-08-04
Police announce identification of remains as Karen Vergata.
2024-01-16
Heuermann indicted for the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
2024-06-06
Heuermann indicted for the murders of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla.
2024-12-17
Heuermann charged in relation to the murder of Valerie Mack.
2025-04-23
Police announce identification of remains as Tanya Jackson and Tatiana Dykes.
2025-12-05
A man is charged in relation to the murders of Tanya Jackson and Tatiana Dykes; police state this case is not connected to the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
2026-04-08
Heuermann pleads guilty to seven murders and admits to an eighth, the murder of Karen Vergata.
2026-06-17
Heuermann sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Best coverage
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That Chapter / 26 min
How Police Caught Rex Heuermann, Gilgo Beach Killer Suspect
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The Case of the Long Island Serial Killer
People
Melissa Barthelemy
VICTIM
Disappeared July 2009; remains found December 2010 (one of the 'Gilgo Four'); murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann.
citation on file
Jessica Taylor
VICTIM
Disappeared July 2003; remains found in Manorville, New York; murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann.
citation on file
Rex Heuermann
CONVICTED
Manhattan architectural consultant charged 2023–2024 with seven murders (Barthelemy, Waterman, Costello, Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Costilla, Mack); pleaded guilty to all seven in April 2026 and admitted to an eighth murder (Vergata); sentenced June 2026 to life without parole.
citation on file
Amber Lynn Costello
VICTIM
Disappeared September 2010; remains found December 2010 (one of the 'Gilgo Four'); murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann.
citation on file
Karen Vergata
VICTIM
Disappeared 1996; remains found on Fire Island and later Tobay Beach, identified in 2023; Rex Heuermann admitted to this murder in 2026 though not formally charged.
citation on file
Valerie Mack
VICTIM
Disappeared 2000; remains found in Manorville, New York, identified in 2020; murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann in 2024.
citation on file
Tatiana Dykes
VICTIM
Disappeared 1997 as a toddler alongside her mother Tanya Jackson; remains found at Jones Beach State Park; identified in 2025; case now considered separate from the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
citation on file
Shannan Gilbert
VICTIM
Disappeared May 2010; remains found December 2011; cause of death disputed (ruled accidental drowning by medical examiner); not linked by charges to Rex Heuermann or any named suspect.
citation on file
Tanya Jackson
VICTIM
Disappeared 1997; remains found in Lakeview and Jones Beach State Park; identified in 2025; case now considered separate from the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
citation on file
Megan Waterman
VICTIM
Disappeared June 2010; remains found December 2010 (one of the 'Gilgo Four'); murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann.
citation on file
Sandra Costilla
VICTIM
Killed November 1993; remains found in North Sea, New York; murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann in 2024.
citation on file
Maureen Brainard-Barnes
VICTIM
Disappeared July 2007; remains found December 2010 (one of the 'Gilgo Four'); murder charge filed against Rex Heuermann.
citation on file
Andrew Dykes
CHARGED
Charged in December 2025 with the murders of Tanya Jackson and their daughter Tatiana Dykes; police state this case is separate from the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
Between 1993 and 2010, at least eleven people were killed on Long Island, New York, with remains of ten victims discovered near Gilgo Beach in late 2010 and 2011 during a search for missing woman Shannan Gilbert. In 2023–2024, Manhattan architectural consultant Rex Heuermann was charged with seven of the murders; in April 2026 he pleaded guilty to those seven and admitted to an eighth, and in June 2026 he was sentenced to life without parole.
Where did the killings happen?
Gilgo Beach / Ocean Parkway, Long Island, New York.
Who was convicted?
Rex Heuermann (Manhattan architectural consultant charged 2023–2024 with seven murders (Barthelemy, Waterman, Costello, Brainard-Barnes, Taylor, Costilla, Mack); pleaded guilty to all seven in April 2026 and admitted to an eighth murder (Vergata); sentenced June 2026 to life without parole.).
