Monster: Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer

Episode 2: “Red Flags” (November 17, 2025)

Host: Josh Zeman
Production: iHeartPodcasts and Tenderfoot TV

Episode Overview

In “Red Flags,” host Josh Zeman explores the pivotal warning signs and missed opportunities in the investigation of the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) case. Focusing on the crucial evidence that was overlooked and the systemic corruption within Suffolk County law enforcement, the episode revisits key moments, victim stories, and investigative missteps that delayed justice for over a decade. Zeman draws deeply personal accounts from victims’ families and reveals how the case against alleged killer Rex Heuermann hinged on evidence that was hidden in plain sight—most notably, the recurring mention of a distinctive Chevy Avalanche truck.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Police Corruption and Obstruction

• James Burke’s Downfall:
  • In 2015, Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke was arrested for torturing a suspect and covering up details to protect himself and his status.
    • “[Burke] tortured a prisoner for stealing a duffel bag... [containing] his gun belt, sex toys, and nasty porn, which sparked a new wave of lurid speculation—including claims that the porn was a snuff tape.” (09:00)
  • This incident, while not directly related to the LISK case, revealed a culture of corruption and willingness to obstruct justice, setting the context for broader investigative failures.
• “Yes, Suffolk county was willing to obstruct justice to protect its own.” (10:45, Josh Zeman)

2. Missed Opportunities & Key Evidence

• Despite many clues tying back to a small region on Long Island, crucial leads were missed or buried for years.
• The infamous “Chevy Avalanche” clue that ultimately led to Rex Heuermann’s arrest had actually been in police possession since 2010 yet remained unpursued.

3. Victim Stories and Investigative Fumbles

a. Maureen Brainard Barnes

• Disappeared July 9, 2007, last seen at Penn Station after checking out of her hotel.
• Cell phone activity showed “16 interactions between a burner phone and Maureen’s cell” in her final days. A witness claimed Maureen called to say she was meeting a client on Long Island that night.
• "We now know her cell phone registered its final ping in Manhattan, near the 59th Street Bridge. … It's far more likely that she did go out to smoke before either getting into a taxi or possibly a vehicle driven by LISK." (20:40, Josh Zeman)

b. Melissa Barthelemy

• Disappeared July 10, 2009; had left the Bronx for an escort call on Long Island.
• After Melissa went missing, her little sister Amanda received a series of disturbing phone calls from someone using Melissa’s phone. The caller taunted her with graphic sexual descriptions and racial slurs, calls always ending before police could trace them.
  • “The first call, he said to her, ‘Are you a whore like your sister? I heard you're a half breed...’ The last one, he said he finally murdered her. He’s going to watch her body rot and he might come and show her someday personally.” (37:20, Jeff Barthelemy to Zeman)
• Calls to Amanda all pinged off cell towers around midtown Manhattan, implying that LISK may have worked in Midtown and commuted from Long Island.

c. Megan Waterman

• Vanished June 5, 2010; last seen leaving a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge.
• Cell phone pings again tied to Massapequa Park, a key geographic locale for the killer.
• Her mother, Lorraine, pointed out, “Megan is petrified of the dark… She had to have seen him before this, for her to let her guard down enough to walk out of the hotel at 1:15 in the morning.” (50:40, Lorraine Ella)

d. Amber Lynn Costello

• Missing since September 2, 2010 after she agreed to an unusual outcall for $1,500, promising to leave everything behind and planning to get drugs in the city.
• "All I had to do was walk like another fucking 10ft and I would have seen this fucking guy's car. Like 10 more feet. That's the thing that fucks me up. 10ft." (1:09:00, Dave Schaller)
• Dave Schaller, Amber’s friend, revealed Amber was stalked by multiple men, one of whom was a massive man driving a green Chevy Avalanche:
  • “He was just this beast of a man… driving a green… Chevy Avalanche… white dude, older, like, probably… 50 years old. Monster. I mean, literally like 6 foot 9, 300 pounds.” (1:11:40, Dave Schaller)
• This Avalanche was recorded in police files for over a decade before leading to Rex Heuermann.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On Law Enforcement Corruption:

  • “Without question, Jimmy Burke is a criminal genius. So let me ask you something. Do you think that Burke is LISK?” (09:27, Josh Zeman)

• On the Investigative Failure:

  • “The clue that had been there all along was my jinx moment, and I missed it. That's a hot lead. How do you get buried?” (1:17:50, Josh Zeman)

• Victims as Real People:

  • “These individuals deserve to be remembered not by the details of their deaths, but by the fullness of their lives.” (Intro, 04:15)

• On the Geographic Profiling:

  • “They looked at an area of a confluence of four cell towers… mapped out... called the Box and it was an area in Massapequa Park.” (56:10, Zeman)

• Emotional Testimony:

  • “Something I have to hear in my head. I don't like saying it out loud.” (Amanda, 39:28, about the phone calls from LISK)

• On the Moment the Case Broke:

  • “The significant break in the case was that Chevy Avalanche that was used during the Amber Costello crime.” (1:16:30, Prosecutor at press conference)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 04:15 – Introduction to the theme ("red flags") and the victims covered
• 09:00 – James Burke scandal and police corruption context
• 20:40 – Maureen Brainard Barnes last known movements
• 37:20 – The harrowing calls Amanda Barthelemy received on Melissa’s phone
• 50:40 – Megan Waterman’s disappearance and the emotional testimony of her mother
• 56:10 – Investigators develop “the Box” in Massapequa Park
• 1:09:00 – Dave Schaller describes Amber Costello’s last night
• 1:11:40 – The Chevy Avalanche clue described
• 1:16:30 – Press conference announcing Rex Heuermann’s arrest
• 1:17:50 – Zeman reflects on missed clues

Tone and Language

Josh Zeman’s narration is investigative yet personal, often marked by regret and frustration over systemic failures (“That’s a hot lead. How do you get buried?”), while the voices of victims’ families are raw and unvarnished—balancing heartbreak, anger, and stubborn hope. The episode stresses the humanity lost amidst headlines, the weight of missed red flags, and the devastating consequences of institutional neglect.

Conclusion

“Red Flags” underscores how critical evidence and testimonies—like the Chevy Avalanche detail—were uncovered years before the arrest of Rex Heuermann, yet they languished in files due to bureaucratic inertia and corrupt leadership. Through deeply personal interviews and a step-by-step recounting of each key victim’s case, the episode paints a chilling portrait of systemic failure, the persistence of families and journalists, and the heartbreak that comes from answers hidden in plain sight.

For listeners interested in true crime, justice failures, and the long shadows cast by institutional corruption, this to-the-point, emotionally charged episode serves both as a tribute to the victims and a scathing critique of those who should have protected them.