MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — Police have made an arrest in the Gilgo Beach murders.
The suspect, Rex Heuermann, will appear before a judge Friday afternoon.
Image obtained by CBS2
Officials are calling it an important development and a big step forward in an infamous case that has baffled law enforcement and the public for more than a decade.
We know a suspect is in custody and will appear in court on Friday. A press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m live coverage of this on CBS News New York.
We still don’t know the actual charges and how many of the 10 unsolved cases are connected to the scene at Massapequa Park, which was packed with police on Friday.
“Members assigned to the Gilgo Beach Task Force, which consisted of numerous detectives and investigators from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, as well as our partners at the FBI, arrested one person,” said Supt. Suffolk County Police Rodney Harrison.
It was an announcement of more than a decade. Sources confirm the arrest of Heuermann, 59, on Thursday night. His alleged role will be revealed in court on Friday.
The neighbors woke up to an unimaginable revelation – The decade-long hunt for a serial killer somehow centers on Massapequa Park.
Suffolk and Nassau police, along with state troopers, descended on the modest First Avenue home.
“It’s a surprise. I mean, it’s a real eye-opener,” said neighbor Richard Harmon.
“It’s crazy. It’s mind-blowing. It’s a quiet park in Massapequa,” said neighbor Margaret Curley.
Those who lived next door to Heuermann said he grew up in the house and stayed with his wife to raise their children, and said he worked as an architect.
“We talk often, every day. And his son is a nice kid, a special needs kid,” said neighbor Etienne DeVilliers. “The guy’s been quiet. He never bothers anybody. We’re a little surprised.”
DeVilliers said Heuermann grew up in the house with his parents and brother.
Neighbors said he did carpentry. A large refrigerator was removed from a house that many described as dilapidated.
“Every time we drove by the house, we’d say why aren’t we fixing this house? It’s the only one in the neighborhood that looks like this. And there were never any answers,” said neighbor Cheryl Lombardi.
Heuermann’s alleged connection to the mystery of the Gilgo murders will be revealed in court.
For more than a dozen years, the hunt for a serial killer – or killers – has been an unresolved obsession with law enforcement. The remains of at least 10 victims were discovered on a long, desolate stretch of Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach after sex worker Shannan Gilbert disappeared.
In all, the murders of eight women, one man and one child remain unsolved.
Harrison last year reactivated the investigationreleasing new video and 911 calls from the victims, increasing the reward to $50,000 and launching a website.
A citizen investigator thought that day would never come.
“For a while, no. Just recently. I want to give a shout out to Rodney Harrison, the police commissioner. I think he’s really doing a great job, taking it seriously,” said Michael McManus.
“We never stopped working on this case. There are police officers, Suffolk police officers, who are retired now, but their efforts, their dedication, has never stopped,” Bellone said .
We’ll update this story with the latest developments, along with live reports on CBS2 and CBS News New York.
Carolyn Gusoff
