There will not be an eighth victim.
Rex Heuermann, the accused serial killer at Gilgo Beach charged with the murders of seven young sex workers on Long Island, has been cleared of involvement in the strangulation death of an eighth woman.
After DNA testing, it was determined that Heuermann was not connected to the 1994 slaying of Colleen McNamee, who was brutally murdered and left near the William Floyd Parkway in Shirley. Records from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, reviewed by The Post, confirmed this.
The coroner’s report from October 21 stated, “A comparison between Cybergenetic’s developed profile, ‘unknown male A,’ and the DNA profile of Rex Heuermann was performed. Assuming that the ‘unknown male A’ profile is a mixture without any allelic dropout and strictly based on possible genotypes present in the profile, Rex Heuermann is excluded as ‘unknown male A.'”
A DNA test was initiated by convicted killer John Bittrolff, who was found guilty in 2017 of the murders of Colleen McNamee and Rita Tangredi. Bittrolff attempted to shift blame for McNamee’s murder onto Heuermann, but the DNA results cleared him.
Ironically, DNA evidence linked the accused serial killer to the bodies of Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Sandra Costilla, and Amber Lynn Costello. These murders remained unsolved until the case was reopened by ex-NYPD official Rodney Harrison, who is now Suffolk County police commissioner, leading to Heuermann’s arrest in July 2023.
Two extensive searches of Heuermann’s home in Massapequa Park uncovered a disturbing “planning document” attributed to him, including a section labeled “lessons learned.”
Despite denying any involvement in the killings, the Manhattan architect remains in custody without bail as the case progresses towards trial. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney suspects Heuermann may be connected to other bodies found across Long Island, but he has only been charged with seven murders so far.
John Bittrolff, a former carpenter from Manorville, is currently serving a 50-year to life sentence for the murders of Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee. Initially considered a suspect in the Gilgo Beach cases, he was later cleared by DNA evidence.
