Police officers searching the home of Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann have reportedly uncovered a soundproof room in the basement, a neighbor said – while cops had brought cadaver dogs to search his yard.
Police told a neighbor of the New York architect that they believe at least one woman may have been killed in this room, which was uncovered in what state police officers called a “major dig.”
Robert Musto, 64, one of Heuermann’s longtime neighbors in Massapequa, told the New York Post, ‘He has a soundproof room in his basement.’ What do you think that was for?’
“This guy is a maniac,” added the retired Long Island Rail Road worker, claiming he had heard about the basement from police, who had searched the crime scene since Heuermann’s July 13 arrest.
Heuermann was arrested this month and charged with the murders of three of the “Gilgo Four,” a group of women whose bodies were discovered near Gilgo Beach, Long Island, in 2010.
He pleaded not guilty to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello.
State troopers have said a “major excavation” is taking place at the home of New York architect Rex Heuermann. The picture shows the police gathering evidence at the crime scene
State police and crime lab teams have been working at Heuermann’s home in Massapequa. Pictured is the scene on Saturday
Heuermann, 59, was arrested this month and charged with the murders of three women
Musto said: “They say there’s evidence he killed at least one of the girls down there.”
“The police will find out all of this.” They said they’ll focus on the soundproof room in the basement, but they’ll look at everything.’
Police told the Post on Sunday that “police are looking for evidence that the victims were inside the house, nothing so far.”
Aerial footage of the crime scene showed groups of investigators in Heuermann’s backyard digging up dirt and collecting evidence.
According to the Post, cadaver dogs were also brought to the property.
Kathy Huber, who lives in the neighborhood, said she went to high school with Heuermann and said locals were unaffected by the disruption.
“We don’t care how long this has to stay here,” said Huber, 57, on Sunday.
“This is a large community of cops and firefighters and I can’t believe anyone here will be angry that the cops are taking their time and doing a good job.”
Melissa Barthelemy, top left, Amber Costello, top right, Megan Waterman, bottom left, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Long Island authorities have vowed to continue investigating the Gilgo Beach murders after blaming an architect for the deaths of three of the 11 victims
Dominick Cancellieri (pictured), who lived next door to Heuermann for fifteen years, claimed he heard him digging in his backyard in the early hours
Dominick Cancellieri, who lived next door to Heuermann for 15 years, told NewsNation last week that he once heard Heuermann digging and burning things in his backyard in the early hours of the morning.
“When I was about 18 or 19, I used to watch TV in my basement,” he told the outlet. “I went outside around one or two in the morning and heard digging in the backyard next door.”
“Now I really wanted to see what it was and look through the fence, but something stopped me,” he said.
“I was nervous, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing at the time.” But now that everything is bearing fruit, it doesn’t surprise me in the least,” the neighbor said.
Cancellieri also recalled an altercation over a parking space when Heuermann parked his truck halfway up his driveway.
“I got out of my car and told him he had to put his car away,” he recalled. “He got a little loud, and I got a little louder, and he ended up moving his car.”
“He would burn his trash and I would smell him,” he added. “It seemed like every few weeks I caught the smell of burning garbage in his house.”
Police officers load a pair of ice skates from Rex Heuermann’s home into a truck on Thursday
Police were observed Thursday for a seventh day searching the property for “trophies” that may be linked to the victims
In addition to his cluttered home, Heuermann maintained two storage facilities in Amityville. They were searched yesterday and today
Another local who worked in Heuermann’s garden told how Heuermann once told him he would be fired if he ever tried to enter his property.
Troy Weeks, 23, lives a few blocks from Heuermann’s in Massapequa Park and mowed the suspect’s lawn weekly or bi-weekly through June 2022.
“He didn’t seem to have any feelings or personality.” He always had the same expression on his face, a blank stare. “He was very monotonous when I spoke to him,” Weeks told .
‘He [Heuermann] I used to tell myself, “If you’re thirsty or need something to drink, knock on the back door and never come in, that’s the only rule.”
“He said if you ever try to open my doors, you can’t work for me,” Weeks continued.
“The condition of his house really surprised me.” Peering through the back window once, I saw four heads made of coconuts with faces carved into them.
“I thought it was super creepy,” he added, “my friends and I called it the ‘Shrimphead House.'”
Weeks stopped working for Heuermann in June 2022 after underpaying him $5.