The suspect who was arrested on Long Island in connection with a long-unsolved string of killings, known as the Gilgo Beach murders, has been confirmed as Rex Heuermann, according to four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the case.
Suffolk County police, sheriffs and New York State Police gathered outside Heuermann's home all Friday morning. He is expected to be in court later in the day and Suffolk County prosecutors are expected to provide more details on the arrest and the suspect in a Friday afternoon news conference. Police and other agencies were seen searching the Massapequa Park home of the suspect. They were looking to see if any evidence inside might link Heuermann to the killings. Law enforcement officials were also seen in Midtown Manhattan Friday, searching the suspect's office on Fifth Avenue and 36th Street.
For years, investigators suspected whether the suspect lived on Long Island and commuted to Manhattan through Penn Station. A cell phone ping at the transportation hub is part of the evidence, according to sources familiar with the investigation.Not much else is yet known about Heuermann but one neighbor who spoke to NBC New York said was born and raised on Long Island and has lived in the Massapequa area his entire life.
Actor Billy Baldwin said went to high school at the same time as Heuermann who graduated in the class of 1981."Mind-boggling… Massapequa is in shock. 23andMe strikes again???," the Massapequa native wrote in a tweet.