Who Was Karen Vergata, The Gilgo Beach Serial Killings' Investigation's 'Jane Doe No. 7'?

FIRE ISLAND, NY — For close to 30 years, the mystery of Karen Vergata's death remained unsolved.

She was known by locals on Fire Island as the "Davis Park Jane Doe" or "Fire Island Jane Doe," because of where her remains were found along the shoreline in 1996 and the fact that the authorities could not identify her.

But for the moniker, she remained nameless.

There was some advancement in the mystery of what happened to her when her remains were matched with those of a skull unearthed along a desolate stretch of marshland 15 years later, in 2011, at Tobay Beach, close to Gilgo Beach.

The area became synonymous with that of a dumping ground associated with serial killings for the similarities in the victims found buried there between 2010 and 2011.

She became "Jane Doe No. 7."

For years, the man who first found Vergata's remains with his brother on Fire Island, and the tight-knit community where it happened, have wondered if her family would ever have an answer as to what happened to her.

Would they ever get the chance to claim her, let alone lay her to rest and move forward, was question often pondered.

It was not until 2023 that her remains were identified in the wake of the arrest of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heuermann.

Vergata's family reportedly regained custody of her ashes in 2024.

And now, they might be closer to having an answer to how she perished, according to a report.

Newsday reported Tuesday that a source has confirmed that Heuermann, who was never charged in her slaying, will admit to killing her in a court appearance on Wednesday.

Heuermann is charged in connection with the deaths of seven women, including the "Gilgo Four," Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. He is also charged in connection with the slayings of Valerie Mack, Sandra Costilla, and Jessica Taylor.

He is expected to plead guilty in those cases also.

Heuermann's attorney, Michael Brown, and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who is prosecuting the case, did not return requests for comment.

Hope For Questions Answered In The Community

In the years since Vergata's remains were found, there's always been hope in the community that there would be justice in the case.

When her identity was first released, Jayne Robinson, president of the Davis Park Association, the civic organization that weighs in on local matters, told Patch that she was glad lawe enforcement was finally able to identify her.

She emphasized how her family must feel.

At the news of a possibility of a plea in her death, Robinson told Patch in an email that she is "sure everyone would welcome the closure."

"Hope it happens," she added.

Someone's Child, A Sister, A Mother, And A Friend

Vergata was born the second child of Dominic and Ann Vergata of Glen Head on Nov. 4, 1961, Newsday reported.

Classmate Eugene Koebler previously told Patch that he remembered Vergata, whom he was friendly with in high school, as having a sweet and artistic personality, and also a flair for unique style that was demonstrated by her penchant for always wearing floppy hats, jewelry, and fringe.

Vergata mostly had a smile on her face, but other times, she would come into class a "bit depressed or upset about something," Koebler said.

He never asked why.

"I think that's why some days she struggled," he said.

He believed most artists have empathetic tendencies.

"I think she probably felt a lot more than most people did. Especially high school kids," he said.

Vergata had an older brother, Victor, and had two sons, Gary Doherty, 37, and Eric Doherty, 35, who were adopted two years before her death as she suffered from addiction, Newsday reported.

She was a known sex worker, and last had contact with her father, who has since died, on Valentine’s Day 1996, according to the outlet.

A Shocking Discovery During A Walk On The Beach

Vergata's legs and feet were found about a mile west of Davis Park Beach in April 1996, Tierney previously said.

They were found by two brothers, Robert Ragona of Valley Stream, and Andrew Ragona of Danbury, CT.

After Heuermann's arrest in 2023, Andrew Ragona, then 86, told Patch he made the grisly discovery while searching for driftwood.

Andrew Ragona, an oral surgeon, and his brother, Robert, were scouring a pristine patch of beach on Fire Island in hopes of finding some good driftwood to use in the repair of the deck of their Blue Point Beach home back in the spring of 1996.

They were about halfway down between Blue Point Beach and Davis Park on the bay side of the wilderness area, when they found a black plastic garbage bag washed up on the beach.

They could see that the bag had what they believed looked like a ham or a roast sticking out of it, Ragona said.

It was clean cut, with no blood.

They were in a black plastic garbage bag partly submerged in the water.

He and his brother took a stick and poked it open, and as soon as it tore open, a toe with red painted nail polish became visible.

"I said, 'Oh boy,' and [Robert] got a little green," Ragona recalled of his brother's reaction.

The two knew they had to call the police, but they had to secure the bag.

“We took this piece of wood and put it through the string and brought it onto the shore, and then went back to the house and called the police,” Ragona said.

At the time of his interview, he didn't think that the first police officer who arrived believed him.

After the two walked the officer down the beach to the bag, he immediately got on the phone.

“Shortly after that, I think the entire police force in Suffolk County was on the beach,” Ragona said.

The Mystery Unfolded With DNA Evidence

Vergata's remains were found the same day as those of Jessica Taylor at nearby Gilgo Beach.

Gilgo Beach Task Force members matched Vergata’s remains and identified her using genealogical DNA, Tierney said.

When Vergata went missing in February 1996, she was believed to be working as an escort, and a missing person's report was not filed at the time of her disappearance, he said.

Tierney also reportedly declined to comment on any suspects that have been developed, and labeled the investigation into Vergata's death a confidential investigation.

“I think it's important that we remember and honor not only Miss Vergata, but all the victims on Gilgo Beach,” he said.

Heuermann is set to appear in court in Riverside at 9 a.m.

Suffolk law enforcement officials are expected to hold a news conference later in the afternoon, officials said.

Lisa Finn contributed additional reporting to this story.