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VOL. 71 NO. 14
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Rex Heuermann pleads guilty Community relieved case is coming to a close By ALYSSA R. GRIFFIN agriffin@liherld.com
Carolyn James/Herald
Media and onlookers in front of Heuermann’s home on First Avenue, Massapequa Park, days after police announced his arrest in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders. Police and Village officials eventually cordoned off the area to give nearby residents some relief from the crowds that gathered there for weeks.
Rex Heuermann admitted to being the Gilgo Beach serial killer and murdering eight women: Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen BrainardBarnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Jessica Taylor, Sandra Costilla, and Valerie Mack, along Ocean Parkway between 1993 and 2011. He strangled six of the women. He also admitted to killing Karen Vergata, who disappeared in 1996. Her legs were found in a plastic bag on Fire Island
after she went missing and her skull was found west of Tobay Beach off Ocean Parkway in 2011. The plea was made in Riverhead on Wednesday, April 8. The suspected person was tagged with the infamous nickname — the Gilgo Beach killer. Heuermann, who lived in Massapequa Park with his wife and children at the time of the killings, became the human embodiment of the moniker when he was arrested in July 2023. The decision brought quick response from the Massapequa community. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
Oyster Bay advances plans for new TOBAY Beach shellfish hatchery By MIKE POLANSKY & WILL SHEELINE Herald reporters The Town of Oyster Bay is moving forward with plans to build a new shellfish hatchery at TOBAY Beach, a project officials say will significantly expand the town’s ability to restore marine ecosystems along both the North and South shores. At its March 24 meeting, the Town Board authorized the start of the design phase, approving a series of contracts totaling more than $833,000 for engineering and planning work. The project represents a major expansion—not a relocation— of the town’s existing hatchery operations, which are currently based in a temporary facility
at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay. “This is a new location,” Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “The one in Oyster Bay stays; this will be an additional hatchery to help us get to that 40 to 60 million clams and oysters a year mark. That’s our goal.” The current North Shore hatchery produces roughly 10 million to 12 million clams annually. Once completed, the new TOBAY facility is expected to increase total production to between 40 million and 60 million shellfish each year, with room for further expansion due to its modular design. Town officials selected the TOBAY Beach site, located on the bay side near the State Boat
Channel Bridge, for its access to clean, well-flushed saltwater and its distance from residential areas. “We needed a location that trucks can come and go, that won’t affect residences, and that has room to expand,” Saladino said. “Most importantly, it has access to very clean salt water.” The planned 5,000to 6,000-square-foot facility will include indoor and outdoor operational areas, with specialized spaces for shellfish cultivation. Design plans call for water tanks, a temperature-controlled algae growth room, laboratory space, offices, storage, and outdoor nursery tanks. An educational component is also included, featuring a picnic-style structure for school groups and
visitors to learn about shellfish restoration. Shellfish such as oysters and clams play a key role in improving water quality by filtering pollutants. According to Saladino, a single shellfish can filter about 50 gallons of water per day. “When you multiply that by the millions, it makes an enormous difference in water quality and the marine environ-
ment,” he said. The expanded hatchery will also allow the town to grow shellfish to more resilient stages and increase production of “spat on shell,” a method in which juvenile oysters are attached to shells before being placed in the water for restoration. Christine Suter, executive director of Friends of the Bay, CONTINUED ON PAGE 13