Promises Kept

News of a link between a cold case 1993 murder in North Sea to the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killer earlier this month left the local community shocked that the heinous killing spree that has made international headlines extended to what was, at the time, a pretty remote corner of Southampton Town.

While it doesn’t appear that the murder took place here — prosecutors are speculating that the body of Sandra Costilla was dumped in the woods near Old Fish Cove Road on November 20, 1993, after she was killed elsewhere — the idea that suspected killer Rex Heuermann appears to have had the area on his radar is still alarming.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s assurances that searches of the area in May with police cadaver dogs had not turned up any additional evidence or suggestion of more victims helped to quell any fears or speculation.

Tierney has proven himself to be a shining star with the arrest of Heuermann last summer. Shortly after taking office in 2022, he formed the Gilgo Beach task force, promising the public that it would finally break the Gilgo Beach case, which had seemingly lay dormant for more than a decade.

And that’s exactly what the task force did.

Utilizing state-of-the-art forensics and cellphone technology — and good, old-fashioned shoe leather police work — investigators were able to zero in on Heuermann and link him to some of the murders. The evidence tying him to the North Sea case came later — a different person originally had been suspected of the murder — and there’s every indication that more charges will follow against the Massapequa Park architect.

Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan last summer said that Tierney “called a Babe Ruth grand slam.” It’s an apt description. He promised to make headway in the case, and then he hit it out of the park when his investigators identified and arrested a suspect, and have steadily released evidence that seems pretty unimpeachable, especially DNA linkages.

While Heuermann has not admitted guilt or yet faced trial for any of the grisly murders, Long Island residents, including those in North Sea, can rest easy that because of the hard work of the D.A.’s office, at least one nightmarish killing spree appears to be over.