The suspected killer of the Gilgo Beach serial killings, Rex Heuermann, was charged with a seventh murder on top of the original six. Over two decades ago, they found Valerie Mack's remains, and it took 24 years to connect her death to Heuermann.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Gilgo Beach killer managed to murder six women from Long Island, New York, and on Tuesday the court charged the alleged suspect with Mack's murder. Heuermann was an architect based in New York before allegedly murdering seven sex workers spanning 1993 to 2011.
Gilgo Beach Killer Connected To Another Victim
A hunting dog scouted Mack's decapitated body on November 19, 2000, on a wooded property in Manorville. The victim was also missing both her hands and one of her legs. 11 years later, they found the rest of Mack's remains near Gilgo Beach.
Prosecutors have now linked Mack's gruesome death to the famed Gilgo Beach killer, an alleged suspect of 61 years old. They were able to connect the two mainly due to DNA testing done in 2020. After finding a mysterious hair on Mack's body, they used mitochondrial DNA analysis on it. This led to the discovery of the hair matching the DNA of Heuermann's wife and daughter.
This hair sample wasn't the only link, though. Prosecutors stated that they found around 350 electronic devices in his house that were heavily connected to the seventh victim. The devices included a "significant collection of violent, bondage and torture pornography." Prosecutors connected the injuries and ropes tied to Mack's body to the photos of mutilated and tied-up women.
On top of that, prosecutors said they discovered an alleged document on the devices with suspicious supply lists. The items on these lists included items like "foam drain cleaner," "rope/cord," and even specific cutting tools.
It also didn't help that there was a "DS" section (deemed to stand for "dump site") listing one of the locations of Mack's remains.
Since July 2023, Heuermann has been waiting in jail for his trial, which he then pled guilty to. Not just for killing Mack, but for the rest of his charges.
In a Tuesday news conference, Mack's parents explained how they were "very grateful for the small bit of closure." At the same conference, district attorney Ray Tierney spoke about how the "lives of these women matter" most. He added that no one understood this more than them and the families.
