Accused Gilgo Beach Serial Killer On Suicide Watch: Sheriff

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Rex Heuermann, the man charged with murder in three of the Gilgo Beach killings, has been placed on suicide watch while in custody within the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon's office said Monday.

Rex Heuermann, 59, of Massapequa Park, is "being evaluated by the county’s mental health staff who generally make the determination to place an inmate on suicide watch," Victoria DiStefano told Patch.

She would not say if he was being housed at the maximum-security facility in Riverhead where other notable names, including serial killer Joel Rifkin, and the Amityville Horror killer Ronald DeFeo, were kept pending their legal cases.

"We are not disclosing which facility he is currently in, just that he is incarcerated within the Suffolk County Correctional Facility," DiStefano wrote in an email.

She said his location remaining a secret was for security purposes.

Patch has reached out to his attorney, Michael Brown of Central Islip, for comment.

In a statement to Newsday, Brown said he has no prior criminal record and said Heuermann “insisted that he did not commit these crimes” when he spoke with him.

"There is nothing about" Heuermann, who is married for over 25 years and the father of two, "that would suggest that he is involved in these incidents," Brown said, adding, "And while the government has decided to focus on him despite more significant and stronger leads, we are looking forward to defending him in a court of law before a fair and impartial jury of his peers.”

Heuermann was charged Friday with three counts each of first-and second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, and Megan Waterman.

Authorities said that they were able to trace a first-generation Chevrolet Avalanche that was seen outside Costello's house, as well burner phones that made calls to Barthelemy and Waterman. Hair with DNA consistent with Heuermann's was also found on Waterman, and hundreds of Google searches that he made were tied to the women's killings.

See also:

• Convicted Murderer Was In Rex Heuermann's Google Sights: Court Docs

This story will be updated. Check back later.