LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The arrest of a suspect in connection with a serial murder case in Long Island, New York could have an impact in the Las Vegas Valley.
As Channel 13 first reported, suspected killer Rex Heuermann has ties to Las Vegas. 13 chief investigator Darcy Spears explores what that could mean for cold cases in our community.
The 59-year-old New York architect was arrested and charged late last week with murdering multiple sex workers.
In a statement to Channel 13, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed its awareness of Heuermann's connection with Las Vegas. Police say, as a result, they are currently reviewing unsolved cases to see if he has any involvement.
Heuermann and his wife own a timeshare condo at Club de Soleil on Tropicana Avenue and Lindell Road. Property records show they bought it in 2005 for $17,000.
Sources tell 13 Investigates Las Vegas police have a number of cold cases involving sex workers. 13 Investigates is awaiting a response after inquiring how many of those unsolved crimes there are
Las Vegas police declined to be interviewed about the case at this time.
Channel 13 has also learned Heuermann may have owned a second timeshare in Las Vegas. A search of property records shows that, in 2012, Heuermann and his wife sold a property for $51,000 to Wyndham Vacation Resorts. The property on Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane is called Club Wyndham Grand Desert. A call to Wyndham for confirmation was not returned on Tuesday.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the killings of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose remains were unearthed near Long Island's Gilgo Beach in 2010.
Police say Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance and killing of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, though he has yet to be charged in the case.
"Some of the searches we saw him doing is alarming — very, very concerning," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison told reporters. "And once again, I have to make sure that everybody understands that it's a very good thing that we got this animal off the streets."
New York authorities are investigating Heuermann's whereabouts and conduct from the time the first bodies were discovered in 2010, up through his arrest on July 13. The investigation could include Las Vegas.
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More than 200 firearms were found in a vault at Heuermann's home in New York, authorities there have said. They're also looking for items that could be souvenirs from the killings — things that Heuermann may have hidden from his family, according to CNN reporting.
Suffolk County Police have executed a number of search warrants, but we don't yet know whether any of them have been here in Las Vegas. We asked New York and Las Vegas authorities if they are searching Heuermann's timeshare property at Club de Soleil. Neither would comment on that.
"There are currently important investigative steps that are continuing and ongoing," a spokesperson for New York State Police said.
