Suffolk DA Ray Tierney To Lead LI Women's Conference On Human Trafficking

FARMINGVILLE, NY — Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney will deliver the keynote address next month at Brookhaven’s Division of Women’s Services’ annual conference in Farmingville which this year will focus on human trafficking, town officials said.

In a news release, officials said human trafficking is both an “important issue” and “an unfortunate reality that affects many young women across Long Island.”

Town Supervisor Ed Romaine will welcome the attendees, followed by the keynote from Tierney and Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony M. Carter.

In a statement to Patch, Tierney called human trafficking "a heinous, yet often misunderstood crime that may go undetected when communities are not aware of the realities of the problem and the signs to look out for."

"We are grateful that the Brookhaven Division of Women’s Services is providing a forum for members of our office to educate the public about this scourge on society," he said.

Patch has reached out to the police department for comment.

Detective James Johnson; Assistant District Attorney Amanda Burke; Assistant District Attorney Vanessa McEvoy; Corrections Sargent Erin Meunkle, and licensed master social workers Stephanie Muller and Feride Castillo.

A question-answer session will follow the panel.

In a rare move by a district attorney, Tierney has decided to personally prosecute accused Gilgo Beach serial murderer Rex Heuermann. Last month, Heuermann was charged in the deaths of three of the Gilgo Four, all women involved in the sex trade who went missing and whose bodies were later found along Ocean Parkway at Gilgo Beach.

The 59-year-old architect is suspected of killing a fourth woman, who like the others was one of 11 sets of bodies unearthed in the area.

The investigation is continuing.

The Sept. 30 event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville. Conference sign-in and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m.

Advance registration and a $10 conference fee are required at www.brookhavenny.gov. Space is limited, and the registration deadline is Sept. 22.