Authorities are investigating if there’s a connection between the Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann and the disappearance of a South Carolina woman who vanished in 2017.
Julia Ann Bean was last seen in Sumter County, South Carolina, on May, 31 2017 and her daughter reported her missing Nov. 18 that year, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
On Sunday, a person claiming to be a friend of Bean reached out to the sheriff’s office and told investigators they believe there may have been a connection between Bean Heuermann.
The Gilgo Beach murders were a series of slayings that spooked Long Island, New York, for years. Eleven sets of human remains have been found in or near Ocean Parkway in Long Island, since 2010.
Heuermann, a New York City architect, was arrested in July in connection with the murders of three of those women whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach, and is considered the prime suspect in the disappearance of a fourth woman — a group dubbed the “Gilgo Four.” The victims were all believed to have been sex workers who advertised on online sites, according to police.
Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sumter County officials said that the tipster did not reside in Sumter County and provided third hand information.
Still, a team investigating Bean’s disappearance met to review the information and shared it with the FBI as well.
“Sumter County Sheriff’s Office investigators have been pouring over the information they have recently received to determine if there is any evidence linking Bean with Heuermann. Yet there are no confirmed facts that confirm or deny the possibility of a connection,” the release said.
Investigators also spoke with Bean’s daughter Cameron who has been “cooperative and eager to help,” and believes that “someone she saw with her mother could possibly be Heuermann.”
Heuermann lived with his wife and kids in Massapequa Park on Long Island, a half hour drive to Gilgo Beach. However, he had two out-of-town addresses: one in South Carolina and a time share in Las Vegas, officials previously said.
Shortly after his arrest, a property in Chester, South Carolina, that belonged to a family member of his was searched and Heuermann’s truck was taken into evidence.
The sheriff’s office said that investigators are interviewing individuals and looking into reports that Bean may have been seen with Heuermann and the work is ongoing.
“Her case will remain open until she is found,” the sheriff’s office said.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
