Karen Vergata went missing on Valentine’s Day in 1996. Police announced Friday that she is one of the nine women whose remains were found near Gilgo Beach.
Another victim in connection with the Gilgo Beach killings investigation has been identified, police announced Friday.
The slain woman, whose body that had been known for almost three decades as "Jane Doe No. 7," was identified as 34-year-old Karen Vergata, who disappeared on Valentine’s Day in 1996. Some of her remains were found on New York’s Fire Island.
Vergata is one of the nine women whose remains were found on an isolated stretch of beach on Long Island, New York beginning in 2010.
Architect Rex Heuermann has been charged with murdering three women whose bodies were found. Heuermann has pled not guilty to those charges. Authorities said Vergata lived nine blocks away from the office where Heuermann worked but would not comment if he is a possible suspect in Vergata's disappearance.
Meanwhile, Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, is trying to move on with her life with her adult son and daughter, but her attorney says it has been challenging.
Robert Macedonio is representing Ellerup.
"It's chaotic," Ellerup's attorney Robert Macedonio says. "You have strangers going through her garbage, selling garbage at online auctions for any price. murder memorabilia it's called."
The couple’s children also have their own attorney, Vess Mitev.
"They're living in what can best be described as a surreal waking nightmare," Mitev says.
And in light of the recent developments in the case, Lifetime will air "The Gilgo Beach Killer" at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Previously titled “The Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother’s Hunt for Justice,” the movie originally aired in February 2021. ” The movie on Sunday will feature new content and Inside Edition's Deborah Norville, served as executive producer on the film. She will provide updated and new details about the case.
