Hair believed to be from Rex Heuermann’s wife was found on or near three of the Gilgo Beach murder victims, prosecutors alleged, citing DNA testing.
Forensic labs were able to match with near 100% certainty the hairs in July, prosecutors say, after investigators recovered 11 bottles from a garbage can outside Heuermann’s house. They took swabs of the bottles and subsequently matched with close to 100% certainty that DNA to the four female human hairs, according to the bail application.
One female human hair was found on one of the buckles of the three belts used to tie Maureen Brainard-Barnes’ feet, ankle and legs together, prosecutors say.
Heuermann is the prime suspect in the disappearance and death of Brainard-Barnes, the district attorney said in its bail application Friday. However, he has not yet been charged in connection with her murder.
Heuermann was charged in connection with the murder of the other three women, known together with Brainard-Barnes as the "Gilgo Four."
Two female hairs were found on a piece of tape and “outside the head area” of Megan Waterman’s body, prosecutors say.
Another female hair was also found on a piece of tape that bound Amber Costello’s body, prosecutors say.
“As previously noted, Defendant Heuermann’s wife was out-of-state at the time of Ms. Waterman and Ms. Costello’s disappearance and murders,” prosecutors state in the bail application. “As such, it is likely that the burlap, tape, vehicle(s) or other instrumentalities utilized in furtherance of these murders came from Defendant Heuermann’s residence, where his wife also resides, or was transferred from his clothing.”