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Rex Heuermann admitted to killing eight women: seven whose murders he was charged with, plus Karen Vergata, whose killing he acknowledged when he pleaded guilty. That is the clearest answer to how many victims Heuermann admitted to killing. It is not a count of every death or set of remains connected to the broader Gilgo Beach investigation.
How many victims were there?
As of October 8, 2026, Heuermann has admitted to killing eight women. On April 8, 2026, he pleaded guilty to seven charged murders and admitted killing Vergata as an eighth victim. The seven charged women were Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Costello, Sandra Costilla, Valerie Mack, Jessica Taylor, and Megan Waterman. Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
“Gilgo Beach victims” can refer more broadly to people whose remains were found during the investigation, not only people Heuermann admitted to killing. The broader case includes unidentified remains and separate cases; for example, the Associated Press reports that the case involving Tanya Jackson and her daughter, Tatiana Dykes, was ultimately unconnected to the other Gilgo Beach deaths. Keep that distinction in mind when comparing counts. Associated Press timeline
Long Island serial killer timeline
1993–2003: Earlier killings and remains discoveries
- November 20, 1993: Hunters found Sandra Costilla’s body in North Sea, Suffolk County. Heuermann later admitted killing her.
- April 20, 1996: Karen Vergata’s partial remains were found on Fire Island. Additional remains were recovered near Ocean Parkway in 2011. Heuermann admitted killing her in 2026.
- 2000: Valerie Mack’s remains were found in Manorville; additional remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2011.
- July 2003: Jessica Taylor’s remains were found in Manorville; additional remains were found along Ocean Parkway in 2011.
2007–2010: Disappearances and the Ocean Parkway discoveries
- July 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes was last heard from on July 9. Her remains were found near Gilgo Beach in December 2010.
- July 2009: Melissa Barthelemy was last seen on July 10. Her remains were found along Ocean Parkway on December 11, 2010.
- May 1, 2010: Shannan Gilbert disappeared in Oak Beach. Her remains were found in a tidal marsh in December 2011. Suffolk police said she accidentally drowned; the sources cited here do not identify her as a Heuermann victim.
- June 6, 2010: Megan Waterman was last seen at a Hauppauge motel. Her remains were found on Ocean Parkway in December 2010.
- September 2, 2010: Amber Costello was last seen leaving home to meet a client. Her remains were found on Ocean Parkway in December 2010.
- December 11–14, 2010: While searching for Gilbert, a police officer and dog found Barthelemy’s remains. Police found Costello’s, Brainard-Barnes’s, and Waterman’s bodies nearby. The police commissioner publicly raised the possibility of a serial killer.
2011–2022: More remains and a dedicated task force
- March–April 2011: Additional remains of Taylor, Mack, Vergata, and Tanya Jackson were found along Ocean Parkway. Investigators also found the remains of Jackson’s young daughter, Tatiana Dykes, and an unidentified Asian male.
- December 2011: Gilbert’s skeletal remains were found near Oak Beach.
- February 2022: The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office formed the Gilgo Beach Homicide Task Force with county, state, and federal law-enforcement partners.
2023–2026: Arrest, charges, guilty plea, and sentence
- July 13, 2023: Heuermann was arrested and charged with the murders of Costello, Waterman, and Barthelemy.
- January 16, 2024: He was charged in Brainard-Barnes’s death.
- June 6, 2024: He was charged in the deaths of Taylor and Costilla.
- December 17, 2024: An indictment charged him in Mack’s death, bringing the charged total to seven.
- April 8, 2026: Heuermann pleaded guilty to the seven charged murders and admitted killing Vergata.
- June 17, 2026: He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 100 years. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said, “For the families of these eight young women who have waited decades for this day, your voices have been heard.” Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office sentencing announcement
Why the victim count depends on what is being counted
The number eight describes the women Heuermann admitted killing. It does not automatically describe every person whose remains were discovered during searches associated with Gilgo Beach or Ocean Parkway. Those broader totals depend on which separately investigated cases and unidentified remains are included, and whether a connection to a particular perpetrator has been established. The timeline of discoveries is therefore not the same thing as a confirmed list of Heuermann’s victims.
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