Rex Heuermann, the suspect in the Gilgo Beach killings, has been charged with the murder of a seventh victim, according to a new superseding indictment filed Tuesday in Suffolk County court.
Heuermann now faces a second-degree murder charge for the death of Valerie Mack, whose partial remains were discovered in eastern Long Island in November 2000.
"Your honor, I am not guilty of any of these charges," Heuermann said in court Tuesday.
Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old mother from Philadelphia who worked as an escort, was first reported missing in 2000.
Parts of Mack's remains were initially discovered in a wooded area of Manorville by hunters who called 911 to report their findings. During the investigation, Mack's head, hands, and right foot were not found at the scene and remained missing for over a decade.
In May 2020, prosecutors identified Mack's remains through DNA analysis, working with local law enforcement, a genetic genealogist from the FBI, and the Suffolk County crime lab, according to the district attorney's bail application.
Investigators found human hair on Mack's left wrist, which led to DNA profiles matching Heuermann's wife and daughter, Asa Ellerup and Victoria Heuermann.
In April 2011, Mack's missing skull, hands, and right foot were located east of Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County, about 1.5 miles from where the remains of Jessica Taylor — another victim Heuermann is accused of killing — were discovered, court documents state.
Rex Heuermann was first arrested in July 2023 and charged with the murders of four women whose bodies were found in 2010 along Long Island's Gilgo Beach. The victims — Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes — were discovered bound with belts or tape and wrapped in burlap, earning them the name the "Gilgo Four."
Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to all charges related to their deaths.
