Investigators are investigating unsolved murder cases across the country looking for a possible connection to a Manhattan architect accused of the Gilgo Beach serial murders, authorities in Suffolk County, New York, said after it was discovered. which has ties to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and South Carolina. .
Rex Heuermann, 59, was charged Friday with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in the death of 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27.
The remains of the women were discovered in December 2010 in Gilgo Beach on the south shore of Long Island, and they were all believed to be sex workers advertising on online sites, according to police.
Heuermann is also a suspect in the disappearance and death of a fourth woman, 25-year-old Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were also found near Gilgo Beach. That investigation is still ongoing, according to a bond request filed Friday.
A spokesman for the Suffolk County Police Department said the cases being investigated include deaths of four sex workers in Atlantic City in 2006. However, the spokesperson noted that in the past investigators have seen no connections between the murders and those in Gilgo Beach allegedly committed by Rex Heuermann.
Atlantic City police directed questions to the county attorney’s office, which said the slayings remain under investigation.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it was also “reviewing our cold cases to see if he has any involvement” and was aware of Heuermann’s connection to the city.
The department did not respond to an email Thursday seeking additional information. Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that Heuermann had a timeshare in Las Vegas.
In South Carolina, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office saying The Gilgo Beach Task Force had asked him to gather evidence related to the case. The FBI also conducted a court-authorized search of property in the area belonging to a relative of Heuermann, an FBI spokesman said.
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Heuermann’s Chevrolet Avalanche, a key piece of evidence in deciphering the long-unsolved murders, was found on the property. A witness to Costello’s disappearance reported seeing an avalanche. The vehicle has since been returned to Suffolk County for inspection.
The remains of the four women, known as the “Gilgo Four,” were discovered during the search for the missing 23-year-old Shannan Gilbert, who was reportedly last seen running through the gated community of Oak Beach after leaving the home of a client, according to a police officer. case timeline.
During the search for Gilbert, authorities found the remains of Jessica Taylor, 24-year-old Valerie Mack, a young girl and a man in Suffolk County. In neighboring Nassau County, where Heuermann lives, two additional sets of remains were found, those of the toddler’s mother and an unidentified person.
Gilbert’s remains were not found until December 2011.
Heuermann is not suspected in all of the deaths, but was connected to Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello via cell phone data. DNA taken from the discarded pizza also allegedly tied it to a male hair found in burlap material used to wrap Waterman, investigators said.
Officials in New York said they are interviewing sex workers and trafficking victims who are currently or previously in jail in Suffolk County for any further information possible.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty and denied involvement in the murders. Michael J. Brown, Heuermann’s attorney, told reporters that the allegations are “extremely circumstantial in nature.”
“All she said, as she cried, was ‘I didn’t do this,'” Brown said. “He’s distraught. He’s clearly distraught about the charges here.”
Brittany Kubicko and greg cergol contributed.
