Where the Long Island Serial Killer Is Now & If He’s Still in Jail For Allegedly Murdering 7 Women
The quiet suburban streets of Massapequa Park seem an unlikely backdrop for one of the most notorious serial killer cases in recent history. But it was there that Rex Heuermann, a former architect and father of two, is believed to have led a double life as the alleged Long Island Serial Killer. With Netflix‘s documentary Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer bringing renewed attention to the case, many are wondering about the current whereabouts of the man accused of murdering multiple women and disposing of their bodies on Ocean Parkway.
After years of investigation, authorities arrested Heuermann in July 2023, charging him with murdering several women whose remains were discovered along Gilgo Beach. Investigators allege he targeted women working as escorts, using burner phones to arrange meetings before killing them and carefully disposing of their bodies. The case, which had gone cold for years, shocked the community where Heuermann had lived an otherwise unremarkable life.
As investigators continue to build their case and media coverage intensifies, true crime enthusiasts are left wondering if the alleged Long Island Serial killer is still behind bars today. So, where exactly is Rex Heuermann now, and what does daily life look like for the man accused of one of the nation’s most notorious murder sprees?
Is Rex Heuermann still in jail?
Yes, Rex Heuermann is still in jail. As of March 2025, he remains incarcerated at the Riverhead Correctional Facility in Suffolk County, New York, as he awaits trial for multiple murder charges. His daily existence has shrunk dramatically from designing buildings as an architect to occupying a 60-square-foot cell equipped with only the bare essentials: a bunk, toilet, sink, and plastic mirror.
Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon Jr. told People that Heuermann has “become more acclimated with jail life” since his arrival in July 2023 “For the most part, it just seems like this is a new way of life for him,” Toulon explained. “In the beginning he was a little bit more starry-eyed as to his surroundings. Life has transformed over the last several months. He receives visits, he makes phone calls, and he doesn’t congregate with the rest of the population because of the crimes he’s accused of.”
While Heuermann’s cell is monitored around the clock by corrections officers, his movements throughout the facility require special protocols. “When Mr. Heuermann has to move throughout our facility, we will stop all inmate movement,” Toulon revealed, explaining that this measure protects Heuermann from potential attacks by other inmates who might target him due to the nature of his alleged crimes.
Interestingly, Heuermann’s estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, has begun visiting him approximately once a week in recent months, despite filing for divorce. According to her attorney Bob Macedonio, Ellerup still struggles to reconcile the man she was married to for 27 years with the heinous crimes he’s accused of committing. “A lot of that, I think… is therapeutic for her and to get whatever kind of grasp on the situation she possibly can,” Macedonio told People.
Heuermann was initially charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, and Megan Waterman in July 2023, with authorities later adding charges for the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. All four women had worked as online escorts and disappeared between 2007 and 2010. In subsequent months, prosecutors expanded the case against him to include the killings of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla, with charges for Valerie Mack’s murder added in December 2024.
Investigators allegedly linked Heuermann to the crimes through DNA evidence, burner phones used to arrange meetings with victims, and disturbing internet search history. Authorities claim he conducted over 200 searches about the investigation, including queries like “Why could law enforcement not trace the calls made by the Long Island serial killer” and “why hasn’t the Long Island serial killer been caught.”
Perhaps most chillingly, investigators reportedly found a hair from Heuermann’s then-preschool daughter Victoria in the sealed garbage bag containing some of Valerie Mack’s remains—a grim detail that underscores the proximity between his family life and alleged criminal activities.
Throughout these proceedings, Heuermann has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges. But as the justice system processes his case, he will remain in his closely monitored cell.
