Mugshot/Facebook (Asa Ellerup) Rex Heuermann's family includes wife Asa.
Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann has been married twice and has two children. His brother was once accused of killing a police captain in a drunk and drugged driving crash in Massapequa, according to court records.
at a news conference on July 14, 2023, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney confirmed that Heuermann is under arrest in connection to the murders of three women whose bodies were dumped near Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York, in 2009 and 2010.
Heuermann was charged in the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, in 2009, and Amber Lynn Costello and Megan Waterman, in 2010, Tierney said. The killing of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who has been connected to the investigation of the other three deaths, remains under investigation and Heuermann has not been charged in that case, Tierney said. She disappeared in 2007.
Tierney said authorities nabbed Heuermann because they believe hairs found on the victims came from Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, although she was out of the state at the time of the killings and is not accused of being involved in the murders.
CNN reported that Ellerup has now filed for divorce.
According to NBC News, Heuermann’s attorney, Michael J. Brown, told reporters that Heuermann, a Manhattan architect, maintains his innocence.
“Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said July 14 at the suspect’s arraignment, according to ABC News. “A predator that ruined families.”
Here’s what you need to know about Rex Heuermann’s wife and kids:
1. Hair From Rex Heuermann’s Current Wife, Asa Ellerup, May Have Come From Their Home or Was Transferred From Heuermann to the Victims, Authorities Say
Facebook (Asa Ellerup)Asa Ellerup
In the news conference, Tierney described how hair evidence on the victims was recovered long ago but was too degraded to test until DNA technology advanced.
Cell phone evidence also ties Heuermann to the crimes, he said.
According to Tierney, a hair was recovered from Brainard-Barnes. He said it was found in a belt buckle around her legs, and a hair was also recovered on Costello’s body. Three hairs were recovered from Waterman, one from around her head area, one in burlap and one caught in between tape, Tierney said.
He confirmed that Ellerup and Heuermann’s kids were not in New York State during three of the murders.
In a lengthy bail application, posted on the Daily Mail’s website, prosecutors revealed that they believe the hairs match Heuermann’s wife, likely coming from their residence or transferring from his clothing while she was out of the state.
A 2015 photo on Ellerup’s Facebook page, which has since been deactivated, appeared to show Heuermann in the background. The page says Ellerup “Worked at Long Island Jewish Medical Center” and “Went to Farmingdale High School.”
Prosecutors say she was in her native Iceland during one of the homicides. She also appears to have posted photos of their son and a cat. Some of her Facebook posts mention Iceland.
2. Rex Heuermann’s Daughter, Victoria Heuermann, Worked for His Architectural Firm & at Macy’s
According to Suffolk County court documents, DNA from a discarded pizza crust was used to identify Rex Heuermann as the suspect in these horrific murders. A male hair was recovered from burlap used to wrap the remains of his victims. It was a match. #LISK
According to The New York Post, Heuermann’s daughter, Victoria Heuermann, was identified as a member of his architectural firm’s team before that web page was deleted after Heuermann’s arrest.
A LinkedIn page for Victoria Heuermann says, “I am a recent graduate of New York Institute of Technology with a BFA in Fine Arts. I know 3D/2D Animation, Modeling, Sculpting, Autodesk Maya/Mudbox, ZBrush, ToonBoom Harmony, Photoshop, Illustrator, and editing in After Effects and Premier. I am looking for a job in animation.”
The page says she was a sale’s associate for Macy’s.
3. Rex Heuermann Is Raising a Special Needs Son, Reports Say
Suffolk Co DARex Heuermann
According to The New York Post, Heuermann’s son has special needs. CNN reported that 2018 court records refer to him as a stepson and say Heuermann and his wife had been married for 22 years at that time.
“We spoke frequently, every day. And his kid is a nice kid, a special needs kid,” neighbor Etienne DeVilliers said to CBS News. “The guy’s been quiet. Never really bothers anybody. We are kind of shocked.”
The New York Post reported that Heuermann lives with his family in the “ramshackle Long Island home he grew up in.”
The Heuermanns live in Massapequa Park.
4. Rex Heuermann’s First Wife, Elizabeth Ryan, Worked as a Junior Planner for an Office Products Company
Newspapers.com (Central New Jersey Home News)Rex Heuermann with his first wife
A 1990 article in The Central New Jersey Home News, says Heuermann was married once before, and his first wife was named Elizabeth R. Ryan and was from North Brunswick. Their wedding took place at a church.
It said the bride worked for an office products company as a junior planner.
The announcement says Heuermann was a graduate of Berner High School in Massapequa and New York Institute of Technology in Westbury, New York “with a degree in architectural technology.” At that time, he was employed by Greer Construction Corp. in Freeport, New York, as an intern architect.
5. Rex Heuermann Was Raised in Long Island With His Brother Craig Heuermann & an Aerospace Engineer Father
Heuermann is the son of Dolores and Theodore Heuermann, according to the wedding announcement, which said that the father was deceased. The New York Post reported that Heuermann claimed his dad had been an “aerospace engineer who built satellites” and was a cabinet maker. The Post reported that Theodore Heuermann died when his son was 11, but it’s not clear why, and Dolores Heuermann appears to be alive, which online records also indicate.
According to the neighbor who spoke to CBS, Heuermann grew up in the home with his parents and brother.
He has a brother named Craig Heuermann, according to the announcement.
Court documents show that Craig Heuermann was once accused of causing a head-on crash in Massapequa that killed a man named Winnion Buskey.
Buskey’s obituary, obtained through Newpapers.com, says he was a captain. A Newsday article from 1988, also accessed through Newspapers.com, says Buskey was a captain for the city housing police, and Craig Heuermann was 22 at the time.
A 1988 article in The New York Daily News says Buskey was driving to a bowling league.
“Mr. Heuermann was charged with various offenses as a result of the accident and pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and one of two counts of driving while intoxicated,” the documents say.
They note: “The cause of this accident was the negligent driving by an intoxicated driver. The evidence showed Mr. Heuermann had a blood alcohol level of .20, twice the legal limit (see, Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192), and a blood cocaine level of .05 milligrams. Obviously, this was a man who should not have been driving.”
“Rex Heuermann. I’m a troubleshooter. Born and raised on Long Island. Been working in Manhattan since 1987,” Heuermann said, describing himself in a YouTube video interview.
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