Gilgo Beach investigators releases new renderings of cold case victim
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. -- The Gilgo Beach Task Force is asking for the public's help identifying a victim whose remains were discovered, along with several others, decades ago on Long Island.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney released new renderings of the victim Monday during a news conference in Brentwood.
"Despite our best efforts, this person still remains nameless. And by nameless, I mean to us, to members of the Task Force. This person certainly had a life and loved ones and friends who knew them by their name," Tierney said. "And it's important that this victim get their name back and, just as importantly, the people who cared for this individual get answers."
Tierney said this victim "suffered a violent death" from blunt force trauma in 2006, or earlier -- at least five years before their body was found along Ocean Parkway in 2011.
Police said the victim was a male of Asian descent, between the ages of 17 and 23 years old, and about 5-foot-6. Tierney also said the victim was wearing women's clothing and may have been a sex worker.
"It is possible that they identified as a woman or were known by others as being a woman," he said.
The district attorney said the victim was likely of south Chinese descent, which is significant because that population is underrepresented in law enforcement databases. He said his office is coordinating with other agencies, including the NYPD, to help translate and distribute fliers in five different languages in Asian communities, where someone may recognize the victim.
Meanwhile, suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann remains jailed on murder charges in the deaths of six women. At this point, he is not charged in the unidentified victim's death.
CBS News New York's Jennifer McLogan asked Tierney whether Heuermann was known to search pornography sites for Asian men or women.
"We have a bail document, which details some of the internet searches done by the defendant, and some of the searches did contain searches using similar terms," he replied.
A $2,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to uncovering the victim's identity.
Rex Heuermann charged in 6 other cases
Heuermann is charged in six other murders, spanning from 1993 to 2011, and has pleaded not guilty. The remains of 11 people were discovered during that time around Gilgo Beach, and investigators have said he may be linked to other killings.
He was arrested on July 14, 2023 and charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. New charges were filed in January connected to the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
This past June, he was indicted on additional murder charges in the 1993 killing of Sandra Costilla and the 2003 killing of Jessica Taylor. Costilla's death had not previously been tied to the Gilgo case.
Tierney said Monday the unidentified victim's body was found between Waterman's and Taylor's.
Investigators previously described what they called a "blueprint" that Heuermann allegedly used to "plan out his kills with excruciating detail." They also said a search of his devices revealed a "significant collection of violent, bondage and torture pornography."