New Gilgo Beach Victim? 1989 Death of Sex Worker Carmen Vargas Being Reviewed for Possible Link to Rex Heuermann
Investigators are reviewing the 1989 death of a sex worker to find a potential link to accused Gilgo Beach murderer Rex Heuermann.
Sept. 8 2023, Published 11:30 a.m. ET
Investigators are reviewing the 1989 death of a sex worker to find a potential link to accused Gilgo Beach murderer Rex Heuermann, RadarOnline.com can report.
In a startling development to come weeks after Heuermann, 59, was arrested on July 13 in connection to the murders of Gilgo Beach victims Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy, Nassau County investigators revived a probe into the September 1989 death of Carmen Vargas.
Nassau County investigators revived a probe into the September 1989 death of Carmen Vargas.
According to the New York Post, 29-year-old Vargas was last seen alive when climbing into a truck parked outside her East Harlem apartment building more than 30 years ago.
Her body was reportedly found dumped in Freeport alongside the Meadowbrook State Parkway a few weeks later.
“We're working with our law enforcement partners to review unsolved homicide cases that fit the alleged pattern of Rex Heuermann," Brendan Brosh, a spokesperson for the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, said this week.
On Wednesday, Vargas’ niece, Felicita Figueroa, told reporters that she believes Heuermann killed her aunt 34 years ago because “there are too many similarities” with the Gilgo Beach murders.
Heuermann's wife's hair was allegedly found on the victim's bodies, authorities said.
“I believe he did it,” Figueroa said. “I believe he did it when he first started killing.”
“She got into a dark car,” Figueroa, who was only 12 years old when her aunt was killed in 1989, continued. “I could tell it was a white man with glasses.”
“There are too many similarities,” she added. “She was really little … She walked the streets.”
Investigators also revealed that Vargas’ deceased body was found approximately seven miles west of Heuermann’s home in Massapequa Park.
Authorities named Heuermann the "prime suspect" in the slaying of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Heuermann also reportedly worked in Freeport when Vargas disappeared and was subsequently found dead.
“Whatever happened that night, she fought,” Vargas’ niece said. “Because three of her teeth were knocked out.”
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Heuermann was arrested in July in connection to the murders of Gilgo Beach victims Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy.
He was also recently named the prime suspect in the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
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Heuermann’s July arrest led to the relaunch of investigations in cold cases in South Carolina and Nevada.
An investigation into the death of 19-year-old Jodi Marie Brewer, who was murdered in Las Vegas in 2003, was recently relaunched following Heuermann’s arrest.
"Hearing the whole Rex thing, it's totally different now because it gives us a little hope," Brewer’s mother said in August. "Hopefully, we can get some resolutions."
Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the murders of Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Melissa Barthelemy during his arraignment hearing on July 14.
“I did not do this,” the married father-of-two cried when he was formally charged.
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