Long Island prosecutors release sketches of another Gilgo Beach murder victim

The task force investigating the Gilgo Beach murders, for which Long Island architect Rex Heuermann is being prosecuted, released sketches Monday of an unidentified victim known only as “Asian Doe.”

The victim's remains were recovered in April 2011 and investigators are appealing to the public to finally determine the victim's identity.

Forensic scientists and anthropologists used the recovered remains to create new depictions of what the person likely looked like, officials said.

They described “Asian Doe” as a biological male of southern Chinese descent. They were between 17 and 23 years old when they were killed and left on Ocean Parkway, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said at a news conference.

The victim “was wearing exclusively women's clothing at the time of death” and “it is possible that she identified herself as a woman or was recognized by others as a woman,” Tierney said.

“We hope that with this new information and the support of the community, we can identify Asian Doe and solve the case,” Tierney said. “The Task Force does not forget the victims and we will not relent in our pursuit of justice.”

A $2,500 reward has been offered for information leading to the victim's identity. Tierney urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 220-TIPS.

Tierney said the victim suffered “a violent death” from blunt force trauma and the remains had been lying along Ocean Parkway for at least five years before being discovered in 2011.

The victim may have worked as a sex worker before his disappearance in 2006 and probably spent some time in New York City, Tierney said.

It was not immediately clear whether Asian Doe's death could be linked to Heuerman, who has already been charged with six of the Gilgo Beach murders.

Investigators found ten more bodies on a stretch of beach along the south shore of Long Island.

Tierney did not say that Heuerman was suspected in connection with the death of the unidentified victim.

“Each of these victims is their own crime scene – start at that crime scene and work your way up,” Tierney said. “Speculation is all well and good, but ultimately it doesn't matter until you can file charges, and we're not there yet. We're not talking about it until we can charge someone.”

Heuermann was first charged in July 2023 with the murder of the women known as the “Gilgo Four,” Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Amber Costello, whose bodies were recovered in December 2010.

He has since been charged by investigators with two more murders: the death of Jessica Taylor in 2003 and the murder of Sandra Costilla in 1993.

Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders, which spanned three decades. He is currently being held without bail.