Skull Found in 2011 Identified as Missing Long Island Woman
Authorities announced on Friday that a skull found near Gilgo Beach on Long Island in 2011 has been identified as that of Karen Vergata, a 34-year-old woman who went missing in 1996. Despite the discovery, her cause of death remains unknown, and no suspect has been named in her case.
Karen Vergata, who worked as an escort, was initially known as “Fire Island Jane Doe” since her other remains were found in Davis Park on Fire Island in April 1996. It wasn’t until August 2022, six months after a task force was established to solve the Gilgo Beach killings, that officials developed a DNA profile from the remains. Using genetic genealogy, the F.B.I. made a presumptive identification a month later. In October, the agency confirmed the match after comparing her DNA to genetic material from a relative who provided a sample.
Suffolk County District Attorney, Raymond A. Tierney, revealed on Friday that the necessary notifications have been made to Ms. Vergata’s family, and her father has filed a legal petition to have her declared dead. However, no missing persons report had been filed when she disappeared in 1996.
While the authorities have not linked Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who recently pleaded not guilty to killing three women whose bodies were discovered along the beach, to Karen Vergata’s death, he remains the main suspect in the killing of a fourth woman. Heuermann, 59, has attracted international attention due to the ongoing investigation, drawing crowds of curious onlookers to his ramshackle house in Massapequa Park.
In court this week, prosecutors provided evidence to Mr. Heuermann’s lawyers, including the autopsy reports of Amber Lynn Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Megan Waterman, who were all found in close proximity to each other. Heuermann was charged last month with multiple counts of first-degree and second-degree murder in their deaths. He is also suspected of being involved in the disappearance of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, another escort who went missing in July 2007.
The case of the Gilgo Beach killings continues to captivate public attention and raise questions regarding the motives and connections between these tragedies. As the investigation advances, authorities assure the community that they will continue working diligently to solve these cases and bring justice to the victims and their families.