The gripping conclusion of Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer reveals a significant breakthrough in a mystery that has haunted New York for over a decade. The docuseries delivers a detailed account of how law enforcement finally zeroed in on Rex Heuermann, a local architect, and charged him with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Heuermann’s arrest constitutes a long-deferred initial step in delivering justice to the families of the “Gilgo Four,” the first victims whose remains were found along a stretch of Ocean Parkway in Suffolk County in 2010.
What was the evidence that led to Rex Heuermann’s arrest?
Meticulously piecing together stray strands of evidence, the Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, working with the FBI and New York State Police, collaborated in an extensive investigation that led to Heuermann’s arrest.
Initially, Heuermann’s Chevrolet Avalanche was matched to eyewitness descriptions of a car seen near the crime scenes. This led authorities to his residence in Massapequa Park and his office in Midtown Manhattan — locations corresponding to key activity zones identified through the investigations into the missing and murdered women. The critical breakthrough, however, came when Heuermann was observed adding minutes to a burner phone, which aligned with the movements of burner phones used during the crimes. Further, Heuermann’s DNA, recovered from a discarded pizza crust, matched a single hair found on one of the victims, whose bodies had been bound in burlap, solidifying suspicions that he was connected to the murders.
What’s happened since Rex Heuermann’s arrest?
While Heuermann’s arrest marks a crucial milestone in the investigation, it is not the end of the story. The identification of an accused serial killer has raised new questions and opened potential new lines of inquiry, culminating in the charging of Heuermann for three additional murders. Authorities are now scrutinizing unsolved cases spanning back years, examining whether they may be connected. With new victims possibly still to be linked to the serial killer, and a public hungry for justice, recent developments underscore that, although significant progress has been achieved, the investigation is very much ongoing.
Gone Girls director Liz Garbus reflects on the inherent dilemma of delivering a series on a live case: “After we completed and turned in our cuts to Netflix, there was another victim added to [Heuermann’s] docket. Will there be more between now and the time that we air? It’s possible. Will there be more between now and the time that we go to trial, if they go to trial? I’d bet yes.”
Why did the search for the Long Island Serial Killer take so long?
A key factor in the drawn-out nature of the investigation, Garbus argues, are the allegations of corruption that dogged Suffolk County authorities initially in charge of the investigation, and may have hindered progress in the case for years. “I think Suffolk County under police chief Jimmy Burke and DA Tom Spota was run like a crime syndicate. This is a cautionary tale about how to stop that kind of thing before these kinds of people get in positions of power,” Garbus says.
Gone Girls explores how Burke and Spota compromised the integrity of the Gilgo Beach murder investigation. Burke, with numerous internal affairs complaints against him and a history of leveraging his position to protect himself from scrutiny over illicit activities, curtailed collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, obstructing the FBI’s involvement and halting crucial investigative steps. Meanwhile, Spota, who was later convicted of obstruction of justice, consistently shielded Burke, further entangling law enforcement in a web of corruption that prioritized self-preservation over justice.
As the case continues to unfold, Gone Girls serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and determination of the victims’ families. “I think audiences should believe in the power of their voices when they see injustice,” Garbus says. “These family members were never going to give up. They knew there was a need to shake the establishment to get attention for this case.”
For those following the case, the docuseries offers a comprehensive look at the investigation’s progress and the challenges that remain. Keep an eye out for updates and new developments.
Additional reporting by Natalie Morin.
