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Rex Heuermann, the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, has been charged with a seventh woman’s death, according to prosecutors in New York’s Suffolk County.
Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old from Philadelphia, went missing in 2000. Suffolk County police found her partial remains in Manorville, New York, that November.
The latest charges come as investigators continue to examine DNA evidence with state-of-the-art techniques that the defense plans to challenge, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
SERIAL KILLER SUSPECT REX HEUERMANN FACES MORE POSSIBLE CHARGES A YEAR AFTER ARREST
Valerie Mack, left, is seen in an undated photo with her sister, Angela. For years, Mack was known as “Jane Doe #6.” Her naked torso was found in Manorville, N.Y., in 2000 and the rest of her dismembered remains were found in 2011 along Ocean Parkway in Long Island. In 2020, authorities announced that they had positively identified the remains as Mack through the use of genetic genealogy. (Photo courtesy of Angela Mack)
Police arrested the New York City architect outside his Manhattan office in July 2023, more than a decade after the search for a missing woman 45 miles east of Long Island’s Gilgo Beach led to the discovery of 10 other bodies, including more of Mack’s remains.
At first, investigators charged him with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27. But a task force dedicated to solving all the deaths uncovered additional evidence.
An undated photograph of Valerie Mack, one of 11 victims whose remains were discovered during the search for Shannan Gilbert near Gilgo Beach in New York. She was dismembered, and police recovered more of her body parts in Manorville, about 50 miles away. (Suffolk County Police Department)
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In January, prosecutors charged Heuermann with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.
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Then in June, a grand jury indicted Heuermann in connection with the murders of two more women: Jessica Taylor, 20, and Sandra Costilla, 28.
Rex A. Heuermann appears in Judge Tim Mazzei’s courtroom for a conference in Riverhead, NY, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. Heuermann is the prime suspect in the so-called Gilgo Beach murders. (Newsday/James Carbone)
Like Taylor, Mack’s dismembered remains were recovered in two separate locations, one along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, and the other in Manorville, about 50 miles away.
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Police in at least three other states were also looking into unsolved cases for potential connections to Heuermann, Fox News Digital has previously reported.
A map created by Suffolk County Police shows the locations of the bodies found on Gilgo beach between 2010 and 2011. (Suffolk County Police)
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the prior charges. He is being held without bail at the Suffolk County Jail in Riverhead, New York.
According to prosecutors, the 60-year-old architect maintained a double life – a mild-mannered commuter with an office in Manhattan by day and a prolific abuser of sex workers in his downtime.
Investigators allegedly recovered his now-estranged wife’s DNA at one of the crime scenes but say they believe it was transferred there by the killer.
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She and the rest of Heuermann’s family were out of town for the murders, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, filed for divorce shortly after his arrest but has said she doesn’t believe him capable of the accusations against him and would wait for the case to play out at trial.
This is a breaking news story. Check back with Fox News Digital for updates.
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