Rex Heuermann Arrested for Murders of Three Women in Gilgo Beach
July 31, 2023, 11:46 PM ET
• 4 min read
The wife of Rex Heuermann, the suspect arrested on suspicion of murdering three women in the Gilgo Beach, Long Island area, is speaking out about the devastating impact the arrest has had on her family. In an emotional phone call with ABC News, Ellerup expressed her shock and distress over the situation, revealing that “everything is destroyed” following the arrest of her husband.
Ellerup also shared that she and her two adult children are struggling to come to terms with the fact that they have a family member who has been accused of being a serial killer. “[My children] have been crying themselves to sleep and I’ve been crying myself to sleep too,” Ellerup tearfully told ABC News. She added that she has filed for divorce from Heuermann.
Following the search of their family home, Ellerup described how their belongings, now packed in boxes or strewn across the floors, serve as painful reminders of Heuermann’s alleged crimes. “Every time my kids go through something … they open a box. Every single time they cry,” she said. The situation has even caused her developmentally delayed son to sleep in a chair at night.
Rex Heuermann was arrested earlier this month in Manhattan and has been charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. The bodies of the three women were discovered covered in burlap along Ocean Parkway on Long Island’s South Shore in December 2010. Police have also named Heuermann as the “prime suspect” in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was found in the same location.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is expected to appear in a Suffolk County Court on Tuesday to face the allegations against him. The community remains on edge as they await justice for the victims and their families.
The investigation into these murders has been ongoing for over a decade, with the recent arrest of Heuermann providing a significant breakthrough in the case. Authorities continue to gather evidence and build their case against him.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the impact of these heinous crimes on the victims’ families and the larger community cannot be overstated. The shock and devastation felt by Ellerup and her children, as well as the fear and uncertainty gripping the Gilgo Beach area, serve as a haunting reminder of the importance of justice and safety within our society.
ABC News will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.