Former escort says Rex Heuermann asked her about Gilgo Beach murders on date in 2015
MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. -- The search continues in Massapequa Park for evidence at the home of accused serial killer Rex Heuermann, and now, a former escort is detailing what she claims was a date she had with him.
As CBS New York's Carolyn Gusoff reports, Nikkie Brass says she's speaking out to warn other young women of the dangers of the sex trade.
"I told people for years, I said, I swear to you, I had dinner with the Gilgo Beach killer," Brass said.
It was an frightening encounter with Heuermann, claims former escort Nikkie Brass. She claims the two hooked up in 2015 for a date; he asked her to his house, but she insisted on a restaurant.
"He told me he was an architect, I knew he worked in Manhattan, and then he got to where he asked me if I liked true crime ... asked if I knew about the Gilgo Beach murders," Brass said.
She says her gut told her to get away.
"He said, 'How do you think he gets rid of the bodies without being seen?' And I said, 'I don't know. I've never been to [Gilgo] Beach. Like, I don't know the area,' and he was like, well, you know, it's really dark and desolate," Brass said.
- Related story: Shannan Gilbert's family speaks out: "Something happened to her that night. She ran for her life. She was in fear"
Brass is represented by John Ray, the attorney for Gilgo victims, including escort Shannan Gilbert. Brass claims Heuermann spoke about her, too.
"He's saying, 'What about that Shannan Gilbert girl, the one from Jersey? You think that's connected?' And I was like, I do, and he was like, yeah, me too," Brass said. "He hypothesized that it was a killing party."
Related stories:
- Investigators believe Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann may have killed at least 1 victim at his home: Sources
- Activists say many efforts to help sex trafficking victims in New York are stalled
- Rex Heuermann's wife files for divorce as Gilgo Beach murders investigation continues
- Who is Rex Heuermann? What we know about the Gilgo Beach murders suspect
- More coverage of the Gilgo Beach murders
Ten other bodies were found along Ocean Parkway after Gilbert went missing. Police concluded her death was an accident.
Ray has insisted it was murder.
"We don't have any evidence that he is connected to Shannan Gilbert except what Nikkie has just now told us ... But it puts Shannan in the sphere of this man. I think there needs further inquiry by authorities," Ray said.
Ray says he had his own bizarre encounters, including recent taunting phone calls from an anonymous caller.
"He tape-recorded a reporter from 2012 reporting on the Gilgo Beach case. He made eerie sounds and eerie noises, and then he spoke," Ray said. "'I hope you're enjoying your pizza.' We had not ordered pizza ... At the door was a Domino's pizza man with three boxes of pizza."
Ray says he reported the calls to police.
Brass says she didn't report her concerns back then because she was an escort with a criminal record. She's speaking out now to warn other women how dangerous the work is, adding you never know who you are dating.
Friday, the attorney representing Heuermann's wife in her just-filed divorce said, "Our client and her family are going through a devastating time in their lives. The sensitive nature of her husband's arrest is taking an emotional toll on the immediate and extended family."
