Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was charged Tuesday with a seventh murder in the death of New Jersey resident Valerie Mack, who disappeared more than two decades ago, authorities said.
Mack, 24, went missing from Port Republic in Atlantic County in the spring or summer of 2000, her family told police. She worked as an escort in Philadelphia and her name was Melissa Taylor.
Her body was found by hunters on Nov. 19, 2000, in a wooded area off Mill Road in Gilgo Beach, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a news conference Tuesday.
Tierney said a planning document that investigators found and attributed to Heuermann listed Mill Road as a “landfill.”
Heuermann, who appeared in court Tuesday in Riverhead, New York, pleaded not guilty to Mack's killing. He previously pleaded not guilty to all other charges. He remains held without bail.
His attorney, Michael J. Brown, did not immediately respond to a request for comment but told news reporters after the hearing that his client maintains his innocence.
Multiple news outlets reported that Heuermann told the judge in a loud voice during Tuesday's hearing: “Your honor, I am not guilty of any of these charges.”
Tierney said during Tuesday's news conference that a hair found on Mack's remains matched the genetic profile of Heuermann's daughter, who would have been a little girl at the time.
Tierney said hair DNA analysis showed a 99.96 percent match between Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and their daughter, Victoria.
Heuermann, 61, was an architect and father who was arrested in July 2023 and charged with the murders of six women: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Amber Costello, Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla.
Tierney said during the press conference that Heuermann's home played “a prominent role” in the murders.
The district attorney also revealed that a search of Heuermann's belongings uncovered various publications containing news of the Gilgo Beach investigation, including articles in People and The New York Times Magazine.
Long after Mack disappeared, it was the search for another missing New Jersey woman, Shannan Gilbert, that led to the discovery of additional victims, including Mack, whose body was found near the remains of a toddler on Gilgo Beach.
Shannan Gilbert's death was considered an accident by Long Island authorities and was unrelated to the case against Heuermann.
Tierney said the Mack family is grateful for the work of investigators over the years.
“They are very grateful. They are very grateful for the little closure that the (Gilgo Beach) task force was able to provide,” Tierney said.
Anthony G. Attrino available at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.