Authorities in New York released a forensic sketch and information flier on Monday of a possible new victim in the Gilgo Beach serial killings, seeking new clues and identities in the killings that happened nearly two decades ago.
The body of the victim, known as “Asian Do,” was discovered in 2011 along with the remains of at least 10 others near Gilgo Beach on Long Island, New York.
Authorities say “Asian Do” is a “biological male” of Asian descent who was wearing women’s clothing when his body was discovered. The new forensic images are facial reconstructions that depict the victim as both male and female. It is unclear how the victim identified himself at the time of death, and a previous sketch released in 2011 depicted the victim only as male.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said at a press conference on Monday that Asian Doe may have been a sex worker, as were most of the identified women whose bodies were found nearby, a common form of employment for transgender people due to a lack of economic opportunities due to job discrimination.
Tierney added that Asian Do was from southern China, was between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and between 17 and 23 years old at the time of her death. According to a flier distributed by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Asian Do had been killed by blunt force trauma and had “died a violent death” at least five years before her body was discovered in 2011.
“Prior to 2006, this person had friends, possibly classmates or co-workers, and family,” Tierney said. “There are people who knew this person and we need to hear from them.”
Authorities have not charged anyone in connection with Asian Do’s murder.
Long Island architect Rex Heuerman, 61, was arrested last year on suspicion of involvement in the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Heuerman was initially charged with murdering three women — Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy — and abandoning their bodies near Gilgo Beach. Authorities have since charged him with the murders of three other women — Maureen Brainard Barnes, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla — with murder charges possibly dating back to 1993.
Heuerman has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Heuerman’s initial indictment, among the thousands of Internet searches linked to email accounts associated with Heuerman were searches for “bound Asian twink porn” (the term “twink” is often used to describe skinny, young gay men).
Asked at Monday’s press conference whether there was a connection between Asian Do’s murder and other bodies found nearby and whether Heuerman was a suspect in the case, Tierney noted that Asian Do’s body was found about 300 feet from Megan Waterman’s body but did not confirm any connection.
“It’s nice to speculate, but it’s basically meaningless until we can bring charges,” Tierney said. “We’re certainly not at that stage yet.”
An informational flyer released Monday said “Asian Do” was wearing a blue ribbed crew-neck short-sleeve shirt by Chrysantheme, a Raffaella brand shirt, Bill Blass pants and a Bill Blass bra. Authorities had previously said “Asian Do” was wearing women’s clothing but did not provide further details.
The images and informational flyers will be shared online in multiple languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and Indonesian, Tierney said, adding that the NYPD plans to distribute the images and flyers throughout the city’s large Asian community to generate clues.
Authorities are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the identification of “Asian Do.”
Asian Doe and the other victims found near Gilgo Beach were discovered during a search for Shanann Gilbert, a sex worker who was last seen running through the gated community of nearby Oak Beach after leaving a client’s home in 2010. Gilbert’s body was eventually discovered near Gilgo Park in 2011, but authorities maintain her death is unrelated to the murder victim whose body was found nearby.
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