'Relief They May Have Guy': Ex-Reporter Who Covered Gilgo Killings

LONG ISLAND, NY — As police in Suffolk announce a suspect in the serial killings at Gilgo Beach, it puts to rest more than a decade of anguish.

Mike Xirinachs, who was a reporter at WCBS 880 for more than 20 years, remembers covering the horrifying events.

"I was on that story every day for weeks, literally, every day for weeks," he told Patch. "There aren't too many stories that you begin your day on and then end your day on. That was one of the stories."

Rex Heuermann, 59, faces three counts first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello, according to court documents.

Bodies were found in 2010 along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach State Park, sending Xirinachs and his colleagues to focus on the facts and the unknown.

"It was a story you committed yourself to because there was a real fear," he said.

Xirinachs' voice was attached to some of the biggest events in the region. However, this one was problematic because it was "constantly challenging."

"You're in that South Shore, beachy, foreign community and you need to talk to people," he said. "It really became a mystery. It was a real-life mystery for us. I hate to put it this way, but there was a certain thrill that comes to a story like this."

Although happily retired for several years, Xirinachs wouldn't have minded getting the opportunity to tell this story again.

"When I heard it at first, I found myself saying, 'I'd love to be there to put a wrap on this thing,'" he said.

The remains of sex workers Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello were discovered in Dec. 2010 after searching for Shannan Gilbert, an escort who disappeared in May 2010 after meeting a client on Oak Beach.

The story was largely fallen out of the public eye until 2020, when Netflix aired a documentary about the murders.

"It's a relief to know that they may have the guy, and it's over," Xirinachs said.