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Sex Workers Are Coming Forward About Alleged Encounters with Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect Rex Heuermann
Multiple women have reportedly made contact with investigators about the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, as authorities vow to vet the alleged encounters.
Sex workers are coming forward to detail their alleged encounters with murder suspect Rex Heuermann, who's been charged with killing three woman considered to be among the Gilgo Beach victims whose bodies were found along the Long Island shore.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon told WCBS Wednesday that multiple sex workers have contacted his office regarding the architect, who has been charged with murder in the deaths of Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy, and is the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. He has pleaded not guilty.
RELATED: Rex Heuermann's Home Hasn't Been "Ruled Out" as Crime Scene, Prosecutors Say
All four of the women are believed to have been sex workers at the time of their deaths.
"My staff is really going to vet these additional females to see if they actually did come in contact with him and then see what that contact was and see if that can lead us in any other possible direction," Toulon shared.
Though details about the women's interactions with Heuermann are scant, an anonymous sex worker told WABC that she searched Heuermann's contact information in her phone after his arrest and he came up as "do not answer." While she doesn't remember meeting or speaking with him, she explained, "If I get a vibe from somebody that this person is scary, that's when I'll save them as, do not answer."
Where does Rex Heuermann live?
The anonymous woman noted that, in 2020, she briefly lived in Massapequa Park, where Heuermann resided with his wife — who has since filed for divorce — daughter, and stepson. She mentioned that sex workers on Long Island were cautious about meeting potential clients because they "knew that there was a serial killer out there that was hunting us and we thought that the person was from the Hamptons and so nobody was taking calls in the Hamptons."
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A second anonymous woman, described by WABC as a local luxury escort, said that other escorts in the area have been shaken by Heuermann's arrest, as he closely resembles the men that they service.
"He looks like 80% of my clients," she said. "His build, his professional stature, his marriage, his children, where he lives. I could have been a victim. There would have been no recourse."
Authorities have confirmed that they're speaking with incarcerated sex workers to determine if they had contact with Heuermann prior to his arrest.
Heuermann's arrest prompts investigations in other states
Additionally, investigators are reportedly looking into the murders of four female sex workers found dead along a ditch in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, a city on the outskirts of Atlantic City. The killer, dubbed the Black Horse Pike Strangler, took the lives of Kim Raffo, 35, Tracy Ann Roberts, 23, Barbara Breidor, 42, and Molly Dilts, 20, according to the New York Post.
While the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office has not commented on the speculation, citing an ongoing investigation, Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told ABC7 NY, "There were some murders a couple years ago that were similar, or something where it had to do with sex workers, we had to take a closer look and see if it was similar to the Gilgo Beach murders. What I'm being told is it's not a connection, but we want to revisit that investigation as well."
Investigators in Nevada and South Carolina are also said to be looking into cases with potential ties to Heuermann, who owns properties in both states. Harrison told ABC7 of the investigations, "Shame on us if we don't look into Las Vegas, South Carolina, even Atlantic City, we've got to make sure if anyone has any information."
RELATED: Wife of Gilgo Beach Murder Suspect Rex Heuermann Files for Divorce, Attorney Says
Meanwhile, back on Long Island, police recently concluded their search of Heuermann's Massapequa Park home, where investigators found an underground vault containing dozens of firearms, among other items that have been sent for testing.
Though Suffolk County Prosecutor Ray Tierney is not at liberty to share the specifics about their findings, he noted in a recent press conference that the home has not been "ruled out" as a crime scene.
"There was nothing of note that was taken from the backyard as far as remains," Tierney said. "There is a whole entire trace analysis that we have to go through with the house with regard to hair fibers, DNA, blood, which we'll have to await the results on."
Heuermann remains in custody and is due to appear in court on August 1.
