How Valerie Mack and Shannan Gilbert are connected to Gilgo Beach killings

Alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann was charged with the murders of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla on Thursday, but not in the deaths of two other women closely connected to the Gilgo Beach killings.

Valerie Mack’s remains were linked to Taylor and Costilla’s in the court documents and mentioned several times, as part of evidence against Heuermann but he was not charged with her death.

The alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer also was not charged with Shannan Gilbert’s death – the woman whose lifeless body led to the discovery of 11 sets of remains in 2010.

Heuermann face six murder charges for the deaths of Taylor, Costilla, as well as the “Gilgo Four” – Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

“Every person that was tragically murdered in Suffolk County, they’re in play,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a press conference Thursday. “We’re looking at all of them not necessarily in the context of a particular defendant, including this one.”

The 60-year-old was first arrested in July 2023 for the deaths of four women whose remains were found in burlap sacks along the Ocean Parkway in New York over a decade ago.

While Gilbert was not named in the new court documents, her family’s attorney, John Ray told Newsweek on Thursday, he still believes she plays a major role within the murders.

“I expect that Shannan should be an active part in the task force investigation,” Ray said. “It’s hard to know who the DA is going to pull up. There’s quite a number of victims that haven’t been called up already.”

Ray also pointed to a variety of other cases – both in Long Island and across the country – that Heuermann may have a connection to.

“Those are just some,” Ray said. “There are other people that seem to qualify in Long Island.”

Ray’s office, which is based in New York, has been receiving tips and calls throughout the day as Heuermann faced additional charges on Thursday.

“As the task force is not giving up and they did a great job, I and my staff are not giving up either,” Ray said. “We’re going forward and hope to contribute to the cause.”

Who is Shannon Gilbert?

The murder of Gilbert is riddled with mystery. Her family is convinced it was homicide.

Gilbert, 24, disappeared in Oak Beach, a quiet gated community off of the Ocean Parkway, on May 1, 2010. The 23-year-old sex worker was meeting with a client, Joseph Brewer.

Law enforcement first started searching along Ocean Parkway after Gilbert vanished in 2010. The hunt for a possible serial killer commenced when 11 sets of human remains were discovered along a property on Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.

The search first turned up the remains of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes—also known as “The Gilgo Four.”

Prior to Thursday, Heuermann was already facing charges for the Gilgo Four.

Suffolk County detectives saidc for a while that Gilbert was not one of Heuermann’s victims. Suffolk County Police Department said Gilbert’s death was not a murder and was “most likely an accident.”

Her sister, Sherre intensely disagreed for years, pointing to 911 calls.

Three phone calls to 911, including one that was more than 21-minutes long by Gilbert, took place the night Gilbert went missing. She initially called from inside Brewer’s home shortly before 5 a.m.

“There is somebody after me,” she tells the dispatcher multiple times. “Somebody’s after me — please,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert couldn’t specify where she was but said she was located on Long Island. Brewer and Michael Pak, Gilbert’s driver and security, are heard telling her to go outside.

After 22 minutes and 42 seconds, the call cuts out.

A neighbor had also called 911 saying a young girl was “running around screaming.”

Investigators believe Gilbert got disoriented in marsh reeds while running in the dark. Much of the marshland is impassable. Some of Gilbert’s belongings were found along a path.

A private pathologist hired by the Gilbert family found insufficient evidence to confirm a cause of death. Renowned forensic pathologist Michael Baden, however, said Gilbert had suffered injuries “consistent with homicidal strangulation.”

A taxi driver said in a sworn statement previously that she believes she saw Gilbert and Heuermann at the Sayville Motor Lodge. Gilbert allegedly told the cab driver that she met Heuermann on Craigslist and was promised financial assistance.

Who is Valerie Mack?

Mack, 24, was living in Philadelphia and working as an escort.

Relatives last saw her in the spring or summer of 2000 in Port Republic, New Jersey. Mack was never reported missing.

Her partial skeletal remains were found in Manorville in September 2000. More bones were found on April 4, 2011, along the Ocean Parkway.

“Valerie Mack was a little bit further into the woods compared to the other Gilgo Beach victims,” according to Tierney.

Mack’s body along with Costilla and Taylor’s are mentioned in the new court documents to “largely coincide” with the violent, bondage and torture pornography that Heuermann collected dating back to 1994.

The 24-year-old was also found in one of the “dump sites” Heuermann mentioned in a Microsoft Word document called “HK2002-04,” which seems to be Heuermann’s “planning document,” according to court documents. It was found on one of the laptops that was part of the numerous items Suffolk County Police Department recovered from Heuermann’s home and business.

Alleged Gilgo serial killer Rex Heuermann appears with with his attorney Michael J. Brown in Suffolk County court on June 6, 2024 in Riverhead, New York.James Carbone/Associated Press

The document, which was recovered on March 7, was separated into four sections: “problems,” “supplies,” “DS,” and “TRG.”

“Problems” seems to be a guide to avoid apprehension, according to court documents. It includes points like DNA, tire marks, blood stains, fingerprints, witness, photos, police stop and plastic bags matched to box.

“Supplies” appear to be the items “needed to carry out the serial murders,” according to the court documents. That section includes bullet points of booties, acid, rope/cord, saw/cutting tools, burn can, tarps and bags/tape.

“DS” has been deciphered to mean “dump site,” according to the court documents. The discovery of Taylor and Mack were at two separate “dump sites.”

“TRG” appears to refer to target or victim, according to the court document.

The document also includes information on how Heuermann would prep a body, items he would need to dispose of it, as well as “pre-prep,” “prep” and “post event” lists.

One of the notes under “body prep” is to “remove head and hands,” which the court documents say, “clearly relates to the condition of Jessica Taylor’s and Valerie Mack’s remains, as both victims were decapitated and dismembered at their arms below their elbows.”

“This was a significant investigative finding,” Tierney said.

Even still, Tierney said in the press conference that Mack’s death is still under investigation.

“We’re not going to stop. We can’t stop,” he said. “We owe that to the victims. That’s the least we can do.”

The next court date for Heuermann will be July 30.