THE Gilgo Beach murders are one of the most significant homicide investigations in New York City history.

The case, which began with the search for a missing 𝓈ℯ𝓍 worker, Shannan Gilbert, eventually led police to the discovery of 10 bodies along the island’s South Shore – mostly other 𝓈ℯ𝓍 workers.

Rex. Heuermann, a New York City architect, is accused of murdering six womenCredit: AP

Police raided the home of Rex Heuermann in Massapequa Park on July 24, 2023Credit: AP

The mother of Jessie Foster, who vanished in Las Vegas in March 2006, believes there are similarities between her daughter’s case and Heuermann’s other victimsCredit: Family Handout

After the first four bodies were discovered, known as the Gilgo Beach Four, an investigation into a possible serial 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er was launched by Suffolk County Police.

The case has become a focal point of intense scrutiny and speculation between both law enforcement and the public as new developments continue to emerge.

Now, nearly 13 years after the first victim was found and the formation of a new task force, Rex Heuermann, a 59-year-old New York City architect, has been charged with multiple counts of murder related to these heinous crimes and others.

Here’s a detailed timeline of events leading up to now:

JULY 9, 2007

Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, is last seen alive in New York City.

JULY 10, 2009

Melissa Barthelemy, 24, is last seen alive in New York City.

MAY 1, 2010

Shannan Gilbert, 23, goes missing after fleeing from a client’s home in Oak Beach, near Gilgo Beach.

Her disappearance prompted several searches in the area.

JUNE 6, 2010

Megan Waterman, 22, is last seen alive at the Holiday Inn in Hauppauge, New York.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

Amber Costello, 27, is last seen alive at her home in West Babylon, New York.

DECEMBER 11, 2010

An officer searching for Gilbert with his police K9 along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach discovers human remains later identified as Barthelemy.

DECEMBER 13, 2010

Police find the remains of Brainard-Barnes, Waterman, and Costello within a quarter-mile of where Barthelemy’s remains were recovered.

MARCH 29, 2011

Police find partial skeletal remains belonging to Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old 𝓈ℯ𝓍 worker, several miles east of where the Gilgo Beach Four were found.

Other remains from Taylor were previously discovered in Manorville in July 2003.

APRIL 4, 2011

Police discover three more sets of remains along Ocean Parkway.

Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old escort whose partial remains were previously found in Manorville in 2000, an unidentified female toddler, and an unidentified Asian man believed to be aged 17-23.

APRIL 11, 2011

Two sets of remains are located in Nassau County, seven miles west of Gilgo Beach. One set is determined to be the mother of the female toddler discovered on April 4, with partial remains found in 1997 in Hempstead Lake State Park.

The other set, known as Jane Doe Seven, belonged to an unidentified victim whose remains were found on Fire Island in 1996.

DECEMBER 13, 2011

Gilbert’s remains are found in marshland near Oak Beach. Her death is later ruled an accidental drowning, though her family believes she was murdered.

JANUARY 2022

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office creates a task force to review evidence in the investigation.

MARCH 14, 2022

Heuermann emerges as a suspect. He is tracked through his Chevrolet Avalanche, reported at Costello’s home.

JULY 13, 2023

Heuermann is arrested in Manhattan. Investigators match DNA from hair recovered from burlap used to wrap Waterman’s body to pizza crust Heuermann discarded in January 2023. Cellphone records also link Heuermann to the crime scenes.

JULY 14, 2023

Heuermann pleads not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder and is held without bail.

Investigators monitored Heuermann for over a year before his arrest, collecting extensive evidence, including DNA, cellphone data, and his internet search history.

JULY 29, 2023

Police announce that they do not believe there is a link between Heuermann and the nearby Black Horse Pike 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ings in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The remains of Kim Raffo, 35, Tracy Ann Roberts, 23, Barbara Breidor, 42, and Molly Dilts, 19, were all discovered in a sewage ditch behind a now-demolished hotel along the Black Horse Pike in 2006.

AUGUST 14, 2023

Glendene Grant, the mother of a 𝓈ℯ𝓍 worker named Jessie Foster who vanished in Las Vegas in March 2006, tells local ABC affiliate KTNV-TV that she believes there are similarities between her daughter’s case and Heuermann’s other victims.

JANUARY 16, 2024

Heuermann is charged with the death of Brainard-Barnes.

JUNE 6, 2024

Heuermann is charged with the 2003 murder of Jessica Taylor and the 1993 murder of Sandra Costilla.

DNA evidence ties him to both murders. Initially, Costilla’s murder was suspected to have been committed by John Bittrolff, but advanced DNA now points to Heuermann.

JULY 13, 2024

Heuermann is now accused of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing six women total, including Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor.

Heuermann also remains the primary suspect in the murder of Valerie Mack.