Posted on: July 20, 2023, 09:40h.
Last updated on: July 20, 2023, 09:40h.
Las Vegas investigators are examining unresolved murder cases in the city to determine if there is a possible link to the Manhattan architect who has been charged in the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Rex Heuermann, 59, was arrested and charged last week for the deaths of three out of the 11 women whose remains were found buried on a remote highway on New York’s Long Island in 2010 and 2011.
Although Heuermann lived and allegedly committed the crimes in New York, he also owned two timeshares near the Strip in Las Vegas.
“We are aware of Rex Heuermann’s connection to Las Vegas,” stated the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. “We are currently reviewing our unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement.”
Heuermann, a married father of two, purchased a two-bedroom timeshare at a property at 265 E. Harmon Ave., now called Club Wyndham Grand Desert, for $51,298 in 2004, as per records obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He sold it for the exact same amount in 2013.
Heuermann still possesses another two-bedroom timeshare he acquired in 2005, located at Club De Soleil on 5499 W. Tropicana Ave. According to the newspaper, he bought it with his wife, Asa Ellerup, for around $17K.
It is unknown whether the police have searched either of these locations for evidence.
The three young women whose deaths Heuermann is being charged with—24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, 22-year-old Megan Waterman, and 27-year-old Amber Costello—are believed to have been sex workers who advertised their services online. Their remains were discovered during the 2010 search for the missing Shannan Gilbert, 23, who was found a year later.
Heuermann is not a suspect in all 11 deaths, but he was connected to Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello through cellphone data. Authorities are also hoping to gather sufficient evidence to charge him with the death of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, shortly.
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied any involvement in the killings.