Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: Rex Heuermann Cleared in Murder of "Peaches" and 2-Year-Old

Date: December 6, 2025
Host: Nancy Grace
Featured Guests: Anthony M. Carter (Suffolk County Deputy Police Commissioner), Kristen Thorne (ABC 7 Investigative Reporter), John Ray (family lawyer for Shannon Gilbert), Joe Scott Morgan (forensics professor), Dr. Bethany Marshall (psychoanalyst), Toby Wilson (forensic consultant), Todd Shipley (cybercrime expert)

Episode Overview

This Friday night special covers new developments in the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) case, focusing on:

• Rex Heuermann being cleared in the famous "Peaches" double homicide (the murder of Peaches and her 2-year-old daughter).
• The growing mountain of evidence connecting Heuermann to other murders.
• Law enforcement's strategies in bringing Heuermann to justice.
• The chilling details of the ongoing investigation and the likelihood of more victims. The panel breaks down key forensic evidence, investigative breakthroughs, and the emotional impact on the victims' families.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rex Heuermann’s Profile and the LISK Case

• Infamy of Rex Heuermann:
  Nancy sets the tone by tying Heuermann’s notoriety to infamous serial killers:

  "Rex Heuermann. The name will live forever in infamy along names like Ted Bundy, BTK, Dennis Rader, Timothy McVeigh, Charles Manson." (02:11)

• Profile: Once a respected Manhattan architect, Heuermann is now the primary suspect in a series of sadistic sex crimes and killings, with authorities believing he may be linked to many more deaths.
• Most victims were young, petite sex workers found along Gilgo Beach. Many were under 5ft and 100 lbs, killed between 1993 and 2010.

2. Heuermann Cleared in "Peaches" and Daughter's Murder

• New DNA evidence excludes Heuermann from the 1994 murder of Colleen McNamee (“Peaches”) and her 2-year-old daughter Tatiana.
• The case has a new prime suspect, Andrew Dykes, believed to be the child's father, now arrested in Florida and facing extradition to NY.
• Key Quote:

  "DNA testing cleared Heuermann in connection with the murder… assuming that the unknown male A profile is a mixture... Rex Heuermann is excluded as unknown male A." (04:06, Panelist)

3. Breakthrough DNA and Digital Evidence Linking Heuermann

• Pizza Crust DNA:
  Investigators surveilled Heuermann, seizing his discarded pizza crust. This DNA matched hair found on three separate Gilgo murder victims.

  "Prosecutors say the smoking gun was a pizza crust. Police dug through Heuermann’s trash, matching DNA from a partially eaten slice..." (29:10, ABC7 Report)

• Wife’s Hair as Transfer Evidence:
  Multiple victims also had hairs matching Heuermann’s wife (Icelandic descent)—likely transferred from him, his car, or home.

  "Just finding the wife’s hair on one victim would be interesting. To find it on three... is a pattern." (30:48, Kristen Thorne)

• Burner Phones & Tech Evidence:
  Heuermann meticulously used burner phones and conducted disturbing online searches, including "blonde girl crying being raped" and how to avoid police tracing burner phones.

  "Who would know to ask that particular question, except for the Long Island serial killer?" (20:44, Nancy Grace) "They found no instance where the suspect was in a separate location from the cell phones when the communications occurred..." (46:56, Todd Shipley)

• Cell Phone Link to Victims:
  Heuermann was identified communicating with victims using both his personal and burner phones, with cell site data placing him at critical locations.

4. Behavioral Profile and Victimology

• Victim Targeting:
  Heuermann reportedly approached and stalked women in public parks, assessing their vulnerability (i.e., “Do you have a boyfriend?”).

  "He was constantly trolling for victims. He had this whole list of questions..." (16:49, Dr. Bethany Marshall)

• Heuermann’s online searches expanded to include young men described as “twinks,” suggesting a potentially evolving victim profile.
• His pattern likely included keeping victims for prolonged abuse; bodily transfers like multiple wife’s hairs raise the possibility of taking victims to his home.

5. Forensic and Law Enforcement Strategies

• House and Storage Unit Searches:
  Police have been combing through Heuermann’s home and a Long Island storage unit for missing items and trace evidence, as some victims' jewelry and clothing were never recovered.
• Task Force Efforts:
  The new Gilgo Beach Task Force, spearheaded by Commissioner Harrison, broke the case open by collaborating with FBI and other agencies.

  "If not for this newly formed task force… this guy would still be walking free. And I guarantee you would still be killing." (07:46, Nancy Grace)

• The investigation remains open and ongoing, with DNA being cross-checked against Tri-State area unsolved murders as new leads emerge.

  "The Go Go beach investigation is far from over." (28:30, Anthony Carter)

6. Family and Societal Impact

• Victims' families are haunted by both the investigation and the details emerging from Heuermann's alleged crimes.
  John Ray, lawyer for Shannon Gilbert’s family, notes the trauma of reading Heuermann’s search history and the continued uncertainty regarding Shannon’s own murder.

  "These families have this image now that's frozen in their mind that he is a killer... But you know, just the image itself of what happened..." (23:42, John Ray)

• There’s a consensus among panelists that more victims not yet identified are likely, and the ongoing search for justice is personal and relentless.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It is one of the most baffling serial murder cases in modern American history." (06:31, Panelist)
• "If not for the members of this task force, he would still be on the streets today. You darn right." (07:46, Nancy Grace)
• "My mouth feels filthy. I need to go wash it out with soap. This was what is on his Google searches." (22:05, Nancy Grace reacting to list of depraved searches)
• "Every contact leaves a trace. And it is the cornerstone that we work from in forensics." (32:21, Joe Scott Morgan, noting Locard's Exchange Principle)
• "I think that the complication... is this guy is going to find anything in order to increase his sexual arousal... multiple assaults against one victim over an extended period." (41:45, Dr. Bethany Marshall)
• "You know what? I'm happy for all the help I can get every single day." (09:42, Nancy Grace on law enforcement collaboration)
• "DNA proved the claim [of another killer] innocent. But in seven other cases, it is DNA evidence linking Heuermann..." (04:06, Panelist)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:11] – Rex Heuermann introduced as an infamous suspect in the LISK case
• [04:06] – DNA clears Heuermann in "Peaches" and daughter's murder; new suspect Andrew Dykes
• [07:46] – Task force’s role in arresting Heuermann; he would still be free without their work
• [16:49] – Behavioral profiling; how Heuermann sought and approached victims
• [20:44] – Online searches as incriminating digital evidence
• [29:10] – Pizza crust DNA collection and significance
• [30:48] – The forensic implications of wife’s hair found on multiple victims
• [32:21] – Forensic axioms and how DNA ties Heuermann to crime
• [43:23] – Surveillance and how Heuermann's DNA was obtained from discarded pizza
• [46:20] – Tracking Heuermann via burner phones and personal phone analysis
• [49:23] – Breaking news: Heuermann cleared for "Peaches" murder, new suspect arrested

Final Thoughts

Nancy Grace concludes by highlighting the overwhelming evidence and the ongoing nature of the investigation, especially in the face of unthinkable brutality and the possibility of more victims yet to be discovered. "We wait as justice unfolds." (49:55)

This episode offers a detailed, emotionally charged look at the progress and setbacks in one of America’s most disturbing serial murder cases, leaving listeners with the sense that, while some answers have come, the true scope of justice is still unfolding.