Investigators: Guns, doll found in accused Gilgo Beach killer’s home

(NewsNation) — Investigators have been searching the home of Rex Heuermann, the man charged in three Gilgo Beach killings, with no sign of finishing soon. 

Officials have pulled more than 200 guns from the home, as well as a life-sized doll in a glass case. Criminal justice experts told NewsNation the doll inside the home could indicate a fetish — many of the victims discovered on Gilgo Beach were sex workers.

Heuermann, 59, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello.

The women make up three of the ten people whose bodies have been found in the Gilgo Beach area in New York. 

It was an investigator with the New York State Police Department who initially identified Heuermann as a potential suspect in March 2022, according to a New York State Police Long Island troop commander. That investigator, whose name the department did not release, was assigned to the case just one month earlier, after the department was approached by the the Suffolk County police commissioner about assisting with the investigation.

This investigation is ongoing.

As the case unfolds, questions remain, including why it took more than a decade to link a suspect to the deaths and whether police will gather enough evidence to tie Heuermann to the remaining seven victims found on Gilgo Beach. 

Heuermann has denied the allegations to his attorney. 

Police are executing a separate search warrant at a storage facility they say belongs to Heuermann. The Suffolk County medical examiner, crime lab technicians, police and state troopers were among those at the scene Monday.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Monday on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” police were looking for “anything” that could strengthen the case or tie Heuermann to other crimes.

“We don’t know if these are the only ones that he killed, and we want to just make sure that if there are other bodies out there that we have to address, that we attach it to him and hold him accountable,” Harrison said.

Meanwhile, authorities in Chester County, South Carolina, said Monday night they were requested “to assist in gathering evidence” that was “relevant” to the investigation.

A video acquired by NewsNation showed agents swarming Heuermann last week. He was then taken into custody just outside his architecture firm in Manhattan. Heuerman has been the subject of a massive investigation since last year when police say they linked his pickup truck to the alleged crimes.

Now, investigators say they have solid evidence linking Heuermann to the decadeslong cold case. 

They believe he used burner phones and “junk” email accounts to keep up with the news surrounding the case and taunted the victims’ families from afar.

Investigators have also said they found child pornography on one of Heuermann’s devices and hair belonging to Heurmann’s wife on three of the victims.

Authorities revealed alleged details of his online history, including searches for “sadistic materials.”

Some of the searches from Heuermann’s email account included “mistress long island,” “mature escorts Manhattan,” “blonde hair girl young depressed” and “chubby 10 year old girl crying.”

Crust from a pizza box was additionally used to match Heuermann’s DNA to killings, investigators allege. 

The man’s neighbors spoke to NewsNation, claiming Heuerman seemed normal. 

Some said they believe he was able to evade police for more than a decade by keeping such a low profile. 

“He didn’t draw attention to himself,” one neighbor said. 

An expert who helped create a suspect profile 12 years ago in the deaths of the ten people found in Gilgo Beach told NewsNation those presumptions align with what the public has learned so far about Heuermann. That includes accounts from neighbors and co-workers who described Heuermann as quiet, organized and antisocial.