New photos released of “Asian Doe,” a possible Gilgo Beach murder victim

On Monday, New York City authorities released forensic sketches and information brochures about a possible new victim in the Gilgo Beach serial killings. The goal of the investigation was to determine the victim's identity and obtain new clues about the murder that occurred about 20 years ago.

The remains of the victim, dubbed “Asian Doe,” were found in 2011 alongside the bodies of at least ten other people near Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York.

“Asian Doe” was described by authorities as a “biological male” of Asian descent who was wearing women's clothing when his body was discovered. The new forensic images are facial reconstructions that show the victim as both a man and a woman. It is not clear how the victim identified himself at the time of death, and previous sketches released in 2011 showed the victim only as male.

At a press conference on Monday, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Asian Doe may have been a sex worker. as were most of the identified women whose bodies were found nearby. Sex work is a common form of employment for transgender people who lack economic opportunities due to discrimination in the workplace.

Asian Doe was likely from southern China, was between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and was between 17 and 23 years old at the time of his death, Tierney added. Asian Doe died a “violent death,” a blunt force trauma homicide, at least five years before he was discovered in 2011, according to the flyer distributed by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

“Before 2006, this person had friends, possibly classmates or colleagues and family,” Tierney said. “Someone knows this person and we need that person or people to contact us.”

Authorities have not charged anyone in connection with Asian Doe's murder.

Rex Heuermann, a 61-year-old Long Island architect, was arrested last year in connection with the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Heuermann was initially charged with killing three women – Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy – and dumping their bodies near Gilgo Beach. Authorities have since charged him with killing three more women – Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla – which could stretch Heuermann's murders back to 1993.

Heuermann pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Among the thousands of Internet queries linked to an email account associated with Heuermann were searches for “Asian twink tied up porn,” according to Heuermann's initial indictment. (The term “twink” is often used to describe thin, young gay men.)

When asked if there was a connection between Asian Doe's murder and the other bodies found nearby and whether Heuermann was a suspect in the case, Tierney said Asian Doe's body was found about 300 feet from Megan Waterman's body, but he would not confirm a connection.

“Speculation is all well and good, but it doesn't really matter until we can file charges,” Tierney said. “We're not there yet.”

The information flyer released Monday shows that Asian Doe was wearing a blue Chrysanthemum brand ribbed short sleeve crew neck shirt, a Rafaella brand shirt, Bill Blass brand pants and a Bill Blass brand bra. Authorities had previously said Asian Doe was wearing women's clothing but did not provide further details.

Tierney said the images and informational pamphlets will be distributed online in several languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and Indonesian. He added that the New York Police Department will distribute the images and flyers in the city's large Asian community to seek leads.

Authorities are offering a reward of $2,500 for information leading to the identification of “Asian Doe.”

Asian Doe and the other victims found near Gilgo Beach were discovered during the search for Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker who was last seen in 2010 running through the nearby Oak Beach gated community after leaving a client's home. Gilbert's body was eventually found near Gilgo Park in 2011, but authorities insisted that “her death was unrelated to the murder victims whose bodies were found nearby.”

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