Her legs were first found wrapped in plastic at Davis Park on Fire Island’s Blue Point Beach in 1996. Karen Vergata, 34, was last seen alive in Manhattan in 1996 while working as an escort. On 4 August 2023, Long Island officials announced that another victim – known as Jane Doe 7 or Fire Island Jane Doe – had also finally been identified. Her remains were found on two separate occasions in Manorville in 2000 and in Oak Beach in 2011 but she was only identified in 2020 through the use of genetic genealogy. Valerie Mack also worked as an escort but was last seen alive in Philadelphia in 2000. Taylor worked as an escort in New York City. Seven months later, on 26 July 2011, the remains of Jessica Taylor were found in a wooded area in Manorville during the ongoing search for Gilbert. Waterman was last seen alive in early June 2010 at a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge. Two days later on 13 December, the remains of three other victims – Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello – were found close by.Īll three women were known to advertise escort services on Craigslist.īrainard-Barnes – known as one of the Gilgo Beach Four – was last seen alive in early June 2007 in New York City while Costello was last seen leaving her North Babylon home one day in early September 2010. The first victim found was Melissa Barthelemy, whose remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway on 11 December 2010 during the search for Shannan Gilbert – a 24-year-old sex worker from New Jersey who vanished after visiting a client in Oak Park and making a chilling 911 call where she revealed fears for her life. Many were sex workers who offered escort services on Craigslist or worked in New York City. The remains of at least 11 victims were found in the Gilgo Beach area though it remains unclear if they are all the work of the same killer. Several theories have been considered over the years but no one had ever been charged with the killings.Īuthorities have previously said they believe that three separate serial killers could be responsible for the slayings over a period of around 20 years. Like Gilbert, most of the victims targeted were sex workers. However, an independent autopsy commissioned by her family ruled that she died by strangulation and her mother believes she was murdered. Her cause of death is widely contested, with authorities long claiming that it is not connected to the serial killer or killers but that she died from accidental drowning as she fled from the client’s home. Gilbert’s body was found in December 2011. Within a matter of days, the remains of three more victims were found close by.īy spring 2011, the remains of a total of 10 victims had been found – eight women, a man, and a toddler. “These people are plotting to kill me,” she tells the dispatcher.ĭuring a search for Gilbert in dense thicket close to the beach, police discovered the remains of another woman. The 59-year-old has been charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello and is also the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman Maureen Brainard-Barnes – who was last seen alive in New York City in early June 2007. On Thursday, local married father-of-two Rex Heuermann was arrested on suspicion of being the infamous serial killer. Over the next year, the remains of 11 victims – mainly female escorts – were discovered dumped in the area, plunging the Suffolk County community into terror.īut, the case went cold and no arrests were made, no suspects were named and there was no justice for the victims and their families. Daughter of Happy Face Killer launches GoFundMe for Gilgo Beach murders suspect’s wife.Gilgo Beach murders victim Jane Doe 7 identified as Karen Vergata 26 years after remains discovered. Gilgo Beach murders - live: Long Island police identify Jane Doe 7 but won’t comment on link to Rex Heuermann.
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