According to a search order, investigators are searching for “trophies” inside the Chevy Avalanche that was seized earlier this week from Rex Heuermann, a serial killer suspect, at his brother’s Chester property in South Carolina.
Heuermann is a Manhattan architect, 59, and a father of two. Heuermann has been charged with three counts first-degree and three counts second-degree in the mysterious deaths of Melissa Barthelemy Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello whose remains were found on Long Island in 2010 Heuermann was also the prime suspect in Maureen Brainard Barnes’ murder, which took place near Gilgo Beach over a decade earlier.
In collaboration with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the New York State Police, two Chevy Avalanches were seized — one black Avalanche, located in New York, and another green Avalanche, located in South Carolina. Both vehicles are believed to be linked to Heuermann’s crimes.
The search warrant issued for the green Avalanche on July 14 states that police are looking for “trophies” such as items belonging to victims. These include “telephones and articles of clothing or jewelry, identification cards, notebooks, ledgers Bibles, personal effects, photographs, recordings, and/or personal effects,” the warrant reads.
Investigators will also be looking for forensic evidence, such as hair, nails, or other human fibers in the vehicle, and other materials that could help with the investigation of the Gilgo Beach murders.
According to New York court documents, police listed black leather belts and devices used to “stamp leather products”, camouflage fabric, duct tape, and other signature items Heuermann is alleged to have used to restrain his victims and kill them.
A bail application for Heuermann reads: “Each victim was found in the same position, bound by belts or tape in the same way, and three victims were wrapped in burlap material.”
Heuermann’s green Chevy Avalanche had been registered to his brother at the time that police took it off of Heuermann’s property.
Craig Heuermann is a resident of rural Chester Street. The house is barely visible on the road. His driveway is blocked by a gate that has two signs prohibiting trespassing, including one saying, “No warrant/No Entry.”
Rex Heuermann owns undeveloped plots of land in Chester near his brother’s home. A neighbor said earlier this week Craig had told him that Rex was planning to retire in Chester and buy out his neighborhood.
Rex Heuermann and his family were living in Massapequa Park, a home on Long Island (New York) at the time of Rex Heuermann’s arrest. The 59-year-old suspect was taken into custody by police outside his Manhattan office in July 2013 due to fears about the weapons he kept at his Long Island home.
New York State Police searched Rex Heuermann Massapequa Park’s home and his storage unit to find evidence in the case.
Uncertain is whether police will search the land of his South Carolina home.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney stated last week that additional charges could be brought against Heuermann, as investigators investigate the suspect’s connection to Maureen Brainard Barnes, the 25-year-old victim of the “Gilgo Four”, who disappeared in 2007.
In the search for the missing 24-year-old escort Shannan, police discovered seven other victims in the wooded area along the coast of Gilgo Beach. According to authorities, all the victims, except for a toddler were sex workers.
Heuermann’s crimes were linked to DNA and cell phone data. According to court documents, the suspect taunted at least one victim’s family member after her death.
The murders remain unsolved after more than 10 years. Documentaries such as “The Killing Season,” a Netflix series in 2020, and a book have all been inspired by the case.
