Gilgo Beach 'Jane Doe No. 7' Idenitified As Karen Vergata

FIRE ISLAND, NY — Investigators on Friday morning identified the Gilgo Beach victim referred to as "Jane Doe No. 7" as Karen Vergata.

The 34-year-old woman's remains were first found on Fire Island on April 20, 1996: Human remains were located in Davis Park, Suffolk County police said. DNA later linked the remains to a second set of remains found April 11, 2011, at Tobay Beach in Nassau County.

Her skull was found the same day as law enforcement discovered the remains of "Jane Doe No. 3," also known as "Peaches." Vergata's skull was also found just weeks after the remains of Jessica Taylor were found March 29, 2011, near Ocean Parkway.

Vergata went missing around Feb. 14, 1996, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at the Friday news conference. At the time, she lived on West 45th Street in Manhattan, and was believed to be working as an escort when she disappeared.

No missing person report was filed at the time, Tierney said.

In August 2022, about six months after the Gilgo Task Force was formed between multiple Suffolk County law enforcement departments, a DNA profile suitable for genealogical comparison was developed from Vergata's remains.

In September 2022, the FBI used a genetic genealogy review to identify Vergata. Using a buccal swab from one of Vergata's relatives, law enforcement confirmed her identity.

Before announcing Vergata's identity to the public, Tierney said he prioritized informing her family. This occurred at the same time as when the task force underwent a grand jury process for the cases of Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Melissa Barthelemy, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway in 2010.

Tierney also released a photograph of Vergata at the news conference.

"I think it's important that we remember and honor Ms. Vergata, but all the victims on Gilgo Beach," he said.

Tierney did not take questions from the media at the conference.

The news comes after Rex Heuermann, 59, of Massapequa, was charged July 14 with six murder counts in the killings of Waterman, Costello and Barthelemy.

He appeared in court Tuesday, his first appearance since his indictment, where Tierney provided a "tremendous amount" of discovery evidence to Heuermann's defense.

Tierney announced last week he would prosecute Heuermann at trial. Heuermann previously pleaded not guilty.

Patch contacted Michael Brown, Heuermann's attorney, multiple times for comment.

Also, this week, Tierney told Newsday that Brainard-Barnes’ remains were bound with a belt with the initials "WH" or "HM."

As Patch reported in January 2020, the black belt contains letters that are 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. The belt was found at the initial stages of the investigation at a crime scene and was believed to have been handled by the suspect and did not belong to the victims.

Below is a timeline of key events leading up to Heuermann's arrest in the Gilgo case:

April 20, 1996: Human remains were located in Davis Park on Fire Island, Suffolk County Police said. DNA later linked these remains to another set of remains located on April 11, 2011, along Ocean Parkway, in Nassau County. These remains, known as Jane Doe #7, have not been identified.

November 19, 2000: Remains of Manorville Jane Doe/Jane Doe #6, who was later identified as Valerie Mack, are discovered in Manorville.

July 26, 2003 — The remains of Jessica Taylor, an escort working in New York City, were located in a wooded area in Manorville. Additional remains of Taylor were discovered March 29, 2011, along Ocean Parkway, during the search for Shannan Gilbert.

Dec. 11, 2010 — The skeletal remains of Melissa Barthelemy were discovered along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach on December 11, 2010. Barthelemy's discovery garnered widespread news coverage and was the first set of remains found during the search for Shannan Gilbert.

Dec. 13, 2010 — The skeletal remains of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who advertised escort services on Craigslist, were discovered along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach.

Dec. 13, 2010 — The skeletal remains of Amber Lynn Costello, who advertised escort services on Craigslist, were discovered in an area off Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach. Costello was last seen leaving her North Babylon home in early September 2010.

Dec. 13, 2010 — The skeletal remains of Megan Waterman, who advertised escort services on Craigslist, were discovered along Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach. Waterman was last seen in early June 2010 at a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, New York.

March 29, 2011 — Jane Doe No. 5 remains found east of the Gilgo Beach Four.

April 4, 2011 — The skeletal remains of an Asian male were discovered along Ocean Parkway. It is estimated that the male was between 17 and 23 years old at the time of his death. He was about 5-feet, 6-inches tall with poor dental health. The timing of his death is believed to be approximately five to 10 years prior to the discovery.

April 4, 2011 — The remains of Jane Doe No. 6 were found. In 2020, those remains were identified as belonging to Valerie Mack. Mack, an escort whose last known whereabouts was in Philadelphia in 2000, was identified through genetic genealogy in 2020 as the victim whose remains were discovered on two separate occasions, in Manorville in 2000 and in Oak Beach in 2011.

April 4, 2011 — The skeletal remains of a female toddler were discovered along Ocean Parkway in close proximity to Valerie Mack. It is believed the toddler was about 2 years old at the time of death, and are likely non-Caucasian. DNA analysis later identified the unidentified toddler to be the child of the victim "Peaches," whose remains were found in Nassau County.

April 11, 2011: The investigation uncovered two additional sets of remains along Ocean Parkway in Nassau County. One set, through DNA analysis, was confirmed to be the mother of the female toddler. The mother’s partial remains were first discovered in Hempstead Lake State Park in 1997 and she has become known as “Peaches” due to a bitten heart-shaped tattoo of a peach on her body, police said. The other set discovered in Nassau County was genetically matched with remains discovered in 1996 in Davis Park on Fire Island, significantly expanding the timeline and geographic reach of the Gilgo Beach homicide investigation, police said.

Dec. 13, 2011 — Shannan Gilbert's remains found.

Jan. 16, 2020 — New belt buckle evidence revealed.

Jan. 28, 2020 - Netflix film about the murders debuts.

May 28, 2020 - Police identify remains of Jane Doe No. 6 as Valerie Mack

In 2020, for the first time, police released the "significant piece of evidence," in the Gilgo Beach murders — a black belt embossed with the letters "HM" or "WH,"; the letters are 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. The belt was found at the initial stages of the investigation at a crime scene and is believed to have been handled by the suspect and did not belong to the victims, then-Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said at a press conference.

Hart said the investigation was one of the most "well-known and complex that this department has ever undertaken ... We will remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver justice and in doing so, give a sense of closure," Hart said.

To continue sharing information, SCPD then launched a new website devoted exclusively to the Gilgo Beach murders, providing an avenue for the public to share tips, Gilgonews.com.

At the event, Hart detailed the timeline of the years since 10 sets of remains were found.

For the first time, Hart said, new scientific technology would be used; the SCPD was granted an appeal by the New York State Department of Health to provide the FBI with DNA samples that will be given to genetic genealogy databases, with an eye toward identifying possible relatives of those found murdered and unidentified; it is unclear how long the process will take.

When asked if there had been multiple killers, she said, "It's important as an investigating team to keep our minds open to all avenues, that we don't marry ourselves to one. We have to keep our minds open and go where the facts take us."

John Ray, a Miller Place attorney for victim Shannan Gilbert's family said at the time that he would demand that SCPD release to the public immediately the four 911 tapes made when Gilbert disappeared in 2010.

"I have fought alone, in court for nearly four years to compel SCPD to release the 911 tapes. SCPD has relentlessly stonewalled against me and the public, and refused to release them, even though the State Supreme Court ordered the police to release the tapes to me. SCPD has defied the court," Ray said at the time.

Ray also brought up former ex-Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke, a detective who "had a lot to say about this investigation when Shannan first disappeared." Eight days after Gilbert was found, he was appointed chief of police, Ray said. "

The news came just days before Netflix debuted a new movie filmed on the North Fork in 2018 about the murders.

The Netlix movie "also puts them on the spot," Ray said. "What they really need to do is give it up, do the right thing, clear out the old dead wood that has been investigating this case for years and put in new people, new voices, a new mindset and share information with me and with the public."