Gilgo Beach Murder Suspect To Be Charged In Norwich Woman's Death

NORWICH, CT — Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann will be charged with the murder of a Norwich woman, New York TV station PIX11 News reported. Heuermann, a Long Island architect, has been charged with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in the long-unsolved case.

Prosecutors are expected to charge Heuermann in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who went missing in 2007, according to PIX11. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office was scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday morning.

Previously, Heuermann was considered the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, CNN reported. Brainard-Barnes was 25 years old and was living at 180 Prospect St. in Norwich when she went missing.

Investigators believe she took an Amtrak train from New London to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on July 6, 2007.

Brainard-Barnes was a sex worker who advertised on Craigslist, Backpage, and other websites, according to police. Her routine was to travel to Manhattan for a few days to work as an escort, and then return home to Connecticut, authorities said.

Brainard-Barnes was last heard from July 9, 2007, at 11:43 p.m. when she called a friend in Connecticut, police said. Although she was known to work out of motel rooms, on that night, she told her friend she would be going to meet someone outside of the motel on an “out-call," authorities said.

A friend reported Brainard-Barnes missing to the Norwich Police Department on July 14, 2007, police said. Brainard-Barnes was found Dec. 13, 2010, on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach, during the search for Shannan Gilbert, who had gone missing from Oak Beach, police said.

Brainard-Barnes was found with a belt around her neck that had the initials “WH” on it, PIX11 News reported. In court, it was revealed that Heuermann had a grandfather named William.

Investigators said that Heuermann is also a suspect in the killings of four Atlantic City sex workers who were found strangled to death in a drainage ditch behind a motel in 2006.

The identity of the New Jersey killer, known as the Eastbound Strangler, has been unknown for years. Authorities are exploring whether these slayings and the Gilgo Beach killings are related.

“Investigators are looking into him in connection with cases around the nation including Atlantic City,” a Suffolk County Police Department spokesperson told Newsday.

Since 2010, at least 11 sets of remains have been found, believed to be related to the Gilgo Beach killings. Police have searched for a serial killer ever since. At least four of the killings included strangulation, and two showed signs of blunt-force trauma. The cause of death remains inconclusive for some victims.