Who was the Gilgo Beach Serial Killer's Alleged Seventh Victim, Valerie Mack?

12/17/2024 01:37 PM

Rex Heuermann now faces seven murder charges related to bodies discovered on Long Island shore.

On the morning of Nov. 19, 2000, three hunters in the woods in Manorville, N.Y. came across a black plastic bag wrapped in duct tape.

Inside the bag were the partial remains of a woman. Both of her hands were severed from her body and her right leg had been cut off at mid-calf. Her torso, leg and arms were bound with rope.

Authorities could not identify her.

More than a decade later, on April 4, 2011, Long Island authorities searching for remains along Ocean Parkway as part of an investigation into the murders of online escorts Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard- Barnes and Megan Waterman, found the skull and right foot of the same woman.

She was later identified as 24-year-old Valerie Mack.

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, Mack became the seventh victim linked to suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann when Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney charged the former architect with her murder.

Heuermann has also been charged in the killings of Barthelemy, Costello, Brainard-Barnes,and Waterman, who were found along Gilgo Beach. He is also charged with the murders of Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor, whose remains were discovered elsewhere on Long Island.

Mack, who used the alias Melissa Taylor, was arrested multiple times for prostitution between 1996 and 2000 in the Philadelphia area. She also worked in the Atlantic City area. Authorities believe Mack, who had a son at age 17, was shuffled through various foster homes as a child.

Authorities believe she was murdered sometime between Sept. 1, 2000 and Nov. 19, 2000.

In the months leading up to Mack's murder, Heuermann allegedly looked at pornographic images including breast mutilation and bondage by rope, which "largely coincide with the injuries inflicted on Ms. Mack's breast and how the rope ligatures were utilized on Valerie Mack," according to the indictment against him filed in Suffolk County.

Related: Gilgo Beach Serial Killing Suspect Rex Heuermann Charged With Murder of Seventh Woman

Heuermann's IP address was allegedly used to access gilgonews.com, a website maintained by the Suffolk County Police about the murders, "which highlighted the upcoming investigation of 'Manorville Jane Doe,' who would, five days later, be identified as Valerie Mack."

Authorities also noted similarities between the garbage bags used in Mack and Taylor's murders and "noted similarities in the type of cutting instrument" used to dismember both victims.

Taylor was found "lying on her back with her legs bent underneath her" by a witness walking their dog in a wooded area in Manorville on July 26, 2003.

A tattoo on her torso had been "severely obliterated by a sharp object" and her arms had been dismembered below her elbows. Authorities believe the killer used a hand-powered saw to dismember the victims.

Authorities also believe that Heuermann amputated Mack's right leg at mid-calf in order to prevent a positive identification of her.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

According to the indictment, a hair from Heuermann's daughter Victoria was also found in the sealed garbage bag where Mack's remains were found. Victoria would have been three or four at the time of the killing.