In the setting sun of a sultry Manhattan Thursday, a man known for shaping skylines was escorted from his familiar Fifth Avenue landscape, not by design peers, but by law enforcement officers.

Rex Heuermann, a Long Island architect who was charged July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.

Rex Heuermann, a well-established 59-year-old architect, was unceremoniously led away as unsuspecting city dwellers strolled by, unknowing of the drama unfolding in their midst.

Rex Heuermann’s clients were as diverse as they were prominent – Catholic Charities, American Airlines, and many more at the famed John F. Kennedy International Airport. But as video footage obtained by CNN affiliate WABC depicted, his strident stride to freedom was halted abruptly by men in dark suits. His towering physique posed no threat to these trained officers who closed the chapter on a 13-year-old mystery involving the horrific murders of young women on the South Shore of Long Island.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul echoed the sentiments of the public, stating, “At long last, an individual with such a vile heart, who extinguished the lives of innocent victims in their prime, is on the path to justice.”

This sudden closure comes years after the infamous Gilgo Beach killings spurred bestselling books, Netflix dramas, and myriad podcasts. The chilling tale shook national consciousness, with the haunting moniker “Gilgo Four” ingrained in public memory. The four victims, all escorts, became household names: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Heuermann stands accused of three counts of first-degree murder for the 2009 killing of Barthelemy and the subsequent 2010 killings of Waterman and Costello. Although considered the primary suspect in Brainard-Barnes’s 2007 death, he has not yet been charged. Heuermann maintains his innocence and, following a tearful court appearance, pleaded not guilty and was held without bail.

The road to justice took investigators on a long, arduous journey spanning nearly a decade and a half. Key breakthroughs came with the discovery of Heuermann’s connection to a Chevrolet Avalanche, a vehicle linked to Costello’s murderer, and the use of “burner” phones traced to Heuermann’s locations. The elusive architect had been leading a parallel life, seemingly the epitome of suburban respectability in Massapequa Park, whilst concealing his alleged monstrous alter ego.

The final jigsaw piece fell into place when DNA on discarded pizza crust linked Heuermann to the gruesome crime scenes. This evidence, coupled with the discovery of hair strands believed to be from his wife near three victims, tipped the scales against him.

Yet, for the families of the victims, the case is far from closed. The discovery of multiple bodies along the beaches of Long Island serves as a chilling reminder of the murders that remain unsolved.

As Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison declared, “Rex Heuermann is a demon that walks among us. A predator that ruined families.” With this arrest, law enforcement aims to bring closure to a dark chapter, offering a glimmer of hope to those still awaiting answers.

However, the story of the Gilgo Four is a stark reminder of the deceptive calm beneath which turbulence may lurk, often closer to home than we imagine.