MASSAPEQUA PARK, NEW YORK: According to one of his neighbors, Rex Heuermann's home was not recommended for children to visit on Halloween. His home in Massapequa Park, New York, was investigated by detectives on Friday, July 14, after Heuermann was detained by police on Thursday night. Heuermann's arrest follows a string of unsolved killings on Long Island that authorities suspected were committed by a serial killer over a period of years.
When Heuermann was apprehended in connection with the deaths of three of the 'Gilgo Four', later recognized as Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. His neighbors reacted to the arrest by saying the architect appeared to be an "average guy who had a family and went to work." Barry Auslander, a 72-year-old neighbor, noted that the suspect "grew up here. I never thought he was anything but a businessman."
'Kids are told to stay away'
Throughout the inquiry, 11 sets of human remains were found, but 59-year-old architect Heuermann was only detained in relation to the killings of the 'Gilgo Four'. The first location of the four women's remains was near a Suffolk County property line on Gilgo Beach. On Friday, July 14, neighbors spoke to Newsweek, saying that they didn't know much about Heuermann and that he was "very quiet." Heuermann's neighbor, however, claimed that his home was off-limits to children during Halloween time.
One of Heuermann's neighbors, Barry Auslander, said, "Most people don't knock on his door. During Halloween, the kids are told to stay away. He's not a very nice person." Heuermann's home, according to Auslander, was "dilapidated inside and out." Heuermann was frequently observed walking to the train, per Auslander, who claimed to not know him well and to have never spoken with him.
'His house is always dark'
Heuermann's arrest didn't surprise Auslander, who has been a resident of Massapequa Park for the past 13 years, because of other numerous unrelated crimes that have happened nearby. However, considering that he believed the 'Gilgo Four' murder case had been closed, Auslander was taken aback when police detained Heuermann as a suspect.
He claimed that while Heuermann didn't engage with neighbors, nothing about him seemed out of the ordinary apart from his lack of social interaction. Auslander remarked, "We have block parties all the time. His house is always dark. There's never any lights on, and when he comes out, he's going to work and that's the only time I ever see him. He just sort of kept to himself."
More than ten victims' bodies have been found scattered throughout a section of Ocean Parkway on Long Island since 2010, and several of them have been identified as sex workers. Investigators have been stumped by the case for a while, and no one has ever been arrested. Although Rex Heuermann has not yet been charged, he is the main suspect in the murder of the fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, in the 'Gilgo Four'. On Friday, July 14, the alleged serial killer was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder.
