3 victims found at Gilgo Beach remain unidentified

The unnamed victims of the Gilgo Beach homicide case, referred to as Asian male, Peaches, and Peaches’ approximately 2-year-old daughter, remain unidentified following the recent revelation of another victim, Fire Island Jane Doe.

Karen Vergata, also known as Fire Island Jane Doe, was a 34-year-old mother of two and Glen Head native. Her severed legs were discovered in a plastic bag about a mile west of Davis Park on April 20, 1996, and her skull was found at Tobay Beach on April 12, 2011. Despite the identification, her torso has yet to be located, making her case the oldest among the 11 sets of human remains found near Gilgo Beach a decade ago. Of the 11 sets, eight have been identified, leaving the trio of Asian male, Peaches, and Peaches’ daughter as the remaining unidentified victims.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney emphasized the importance of remembering and honoring all the victims on Gilgo Beach. The case gained attention in 2010 when police, initially searching for missing New Jersey woman Shannan Gilbert, discovered four women dead at Gilgo Beach. Subsequent investigations revealed six more sets of remains in the vicinity, with Gilbert’s remains found in Oak Beach a year later.

In July 2023, 59-year-old Massapequa Park architect Rex Heuermann pleaded not guilty to charges related to the killing of three identified victims and is considered the prime suspect in the fourth. However, he has not been charged in connection with the other seven unsolved Ocean Parkway deaths.

Apart from Vergata, the other identified victims include Valerie Mack and Jessica Taylor, both sex workers whose remains were found in Manorville in 2000 and 2003, respectively.

Peaches’ dismembered torso was discovered in a bin at Hempstead Lake State Park on June 28, 1997. Peaches’ remains, including her child’s, were found at opposite ends of the dumping grounds along Ocean Parkway. DNA evidence later confirmed Peaches as the mother of Baby Doe, the lone child found dead in the Long Island Serial Killer case.

The investigation into Peaches received a potential lead in October 2022 when the Mobile Police Department in Alabama sought information from friends and family of Elijah “Lige” Howell/Howard. The FBI, using genetic genealogy, appears to be exploring connections to identify Peaches.

The identification of Vergata may provide additional leads, suggesting progress in the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force’s efforts. Vergata, previously unidentified for 26 years, had a troubled life before her tragic death. Her father, Dominic Vergata, had been searching for her since her disappearance in 1996.

Heuermann, who was taken into custody in July 2023, has entered a plea of not guilty to three charges of first-degree murder in connection to the fatalities of Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Costello in 2010, as stated by Suffolk County prosecutors. Additionally, he is the primary individual under suspicion in the 2007 vanishing and demise of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, the fourth victim associated with the Gilgo Beach case. The investigation continues as authorities work to identify and bring justice to the remaining victims of the Gilgo Beach homicides.