MASSAPEQUA PARK, Long Island (WABC) — Police have begun digging in the backyard of Rex Heuermann, the Massapequa Park man charged in the Gilgo Beach murders.
Investigators believe some of the victims may have been killed in the 59-year-old architect’s home, but have found no evidence to prove that. That’s why officials spent last weekend with digging equipment and police dogs in Heuermann’s backyard.
The equipment is likely to be used to determine if someone or something is buried underground. Police have not yet said if they found anything.
Monday morning, NewsCopter 7 video showed Heuermann’s backyard completely turned around.
WATCH: NewsCopter 7 over Rex Heuermann’s backyard
Heuermann was arrested a little over a week ago in Manhattan and charged with murder in the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello. DNA tests have linked him to the murders, but Heuermann has pleaded not guilty.
Officials say he is also the prime suspect in the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were also found along a small stretch of Gilgo Beach in 2010.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison says investigators are still going through many items in Heuermann’s home.
“The task force that we put together still has its sleeves rolled up. We’re not at a place where the investigation is over,” Harrison said. “I’ve been an investigator for a long time. These cases are not easily solved. There are many pieces of the puzzle that need to be put together.”
Officials say the Gilgo Beach murder victims disappeared when Heuermann’s family was out of town, suggesting he may have lured the women. Investigators found tapes and burlap bags at the crime scene.
Harrison estimated that the search of the house would likely end sometime this week.
Meanwhile, unsolved murders and missing persons cases “across the nation” are getting a second look.
This includes the 2006 murders of four women who worked as prostitutes in Atlantic City. Their bodies were found in a watery ditch along the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
Police in Las Vegas, where Heuermann owned a timeshare, said this week they are also looking into possible connections to unsolved cases.
“We’re working with partner law enforcement agencies, obviously the FBI remains engaged, to see if there are other connections that need to be made,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Thursday. “I can tell you this: the investigation is ongoing. We will continue and our police department will remain focused on getting justice for our other victims.”
Until her arrest last week, prosecutors say Heuermann was living a double life: using hot phones and anonymous email accounts to arrange sex and look for child pornography while raising a daughter and stepson and commuting to New York City for work.
On Wednesday, Heuermann’s wife filed for divorce in Suffolk County Superior Court. The filing says the divorce will be “uncontested.”
His wife’s lawyer made the following statement:
“As you can imagine, our client and his family are going through a devastating time in their lives. The sensitive nature of her husband’s arrest is taking an emotional toll on the immediate and extended family, particularly his older relatives. Ms. Ellerup does not wish to comment further and has asked the public and the press to respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
Investigators have been speaking with sex workers about possible interactions with the suspect as authorities work to develop a more complete picture of his movements and methods.
Two sex workers currently in the Suffolk County Jail had prior contact with Heuermann and have audio recordings of him, according to the sheriff’s office. The two interacted with him through various social media platforms.
“He had contacted them for sex,” Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon said. “They had received the calls but luckily they didn’t meet him.”
Investigators are also talking to other sex workers at the Suffolk County Jail, looking for anyone else who may have interacted with Heuermann in the past. This could expand to jails in neighboring counties and beyond.
Once Heuermann was identified as a suspect in the Gilgo Beach deaths, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office shared his distinctive physical description with inmates they knew were involved in sex trafficking. They could not share a photo of him at the time, due to the sensitivity of the investigation.
They also reviewed Heuermann’s phone records and realized that the two sex workers serving time in prison had been contacted by him previously. They were interviewed and provided the audio recordings.
After Heuermann was arrested, members of the prison’s human trafficking unit were authorized to show his photo to current inmates to see if any of them had contact with him. They also reach out to victims of sex trafficking who are no longer in custody.
READ ALSO | Woman shares chilling voicemail left by Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann
Two of Heuermann’s Chevy Avalanches are also being examined for evidence.
The first, a newer black Avalanche, was towed from his Massapequa Park property on Friday. The second, an older Green Avalanche, was recovered from his property in South Carolina and towed by a New York State Police plane to New York, where it arrived at the Suffolk County Crime Lab at 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Harrison says Heuermann owned the vehicle at the time of the murders of three women whose bodies washed up on Gilgo Beach.
He says they are looking for anything that will help authorities connect the victims to this vehicle.
“Anything from hair, trophies, memorabilia, jewelry,” Harrison said.
LOOK | Rodney Harrison delves into the Gilgo Beach murder investigation
Since his arrest, Heuermann has been on suicide watch at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, according to a sheriff’s office spokesman. The designation, which requires “elevated security measures” and close observation, came after an evaluation by county medical staff, according to spokeswoman Vicki DiStefano.
Toulon spoke to Heuermann inside the penitentiary.
“I’ve spoken to him once. He’s very calm, all three times, he’s been lying on the stretcher, very nondescript without showing any emotion,” Toulon said.
The charges against Heuermann were a remarkable development in one of New York’s most notorious mysteries.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
MORE: Who are the ‘Gilgo Four?’
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