DNA Sample From Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Suspect’s Wife Matches Genetic Material Found on Victims: Prosecutors

A DNA cheek swab sample obtained from the estranged wife of Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect Rex Heuermann matches DNA found on the remains of some of the Long Island victims, according to authorities.

According to investigators, samples were taken from Asa Ellerup on July 13, the day her husband was charged with the murders of three of the so-called Gilgo 4, women found dead and wrapped in burlap in a marshy area near Gilgo Beach in 2010, ABC News reported.

Ellerup’s hairs were discovered on that burlap, and now authorities say the DNA extracted from them matches the cheek swab samples she previously provided to investigators, according to ABC News.

Ellerup has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case, and prosecutors have said she was not in town or even the country when the murders occurred.

In January 2023, federal investigators were following Heuermann and used a pizza box he threw in the garbage in Midtown Manhattan to obtain a sample of his DNA from the pizza crust. It was tested and found to be a match with a hair discovered on one of the victims, officials said.

Heuermann was formally charged with three counts each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Megan Waterman, 22; and Amber Costello, 27.

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He is also a prime suspect in the killing of a fourth Gilgo Beach victim, Maureen Brainard Barnes.

Heuermann pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and remains in custody at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, where he is being held without bail.