HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (WPIX) – Investigators in New York have identified a Jane Doe whose remains were found both on Fire Island and Long Island, near the Gilgo Beach victims.
Authorities said on Friday the remains belong to 34-year-old Karen Vergata, who was previously known as Fire Island Jane Doe #7.
Police said the victim’s legs were discovered on Fire Island about a mile west of Davis Park back in 1996. Her skull was discovered at Long Island’s Tobay Beach in 2011 near the remains of Jessica Taylor, who has been tied to the Gilgo Beach serial killer investigation, according to officials.
Vergata was a sex worker when she disappeared on Feb. 14, 1996, officials said. They said she lived on West 45th St. in Manhattan.
Authorities said there wasn’t a missing person report filed at the time of Vergata’s disappearance. Investigators were able to identify her last August using a genealogical profile.
Officials said no charges have been filed at this time, and they plan to work her case like they did the “Gilgo Four.”
Rex Heuermann, 59, of Long Island, New York, was arrested in July and charged with the deaths of three women: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello.
Police have continued to investigate the deaths of six other people whose skeletal remains were found along the same long stretch of coastline.
Through his lawyer, Heuermann has denied killing anyone and pleaded not guilty.
Investigators spent nearly two weeks combing through Heuermann’s home, including digging up the yard, dismantling a porch and a greenhouse, and removing many of the house’s contents for testing.
This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press.
