A major piece of evidence in the Gilgo Beach murder investigation is back on Long Island.

The green Chevrolet Avalanche that detectives said Rex Heuermann owned at the time of the murders was seized from his property in South Carolina. It arrived at a Suffolk County crime lab on Wednesday, police say.

As News 12 has reported, investigators linked Heuermann’s pickup truck to a cluster of phone calls made to some of the victims near his Massapequa Park home. It was a key element that ultimately led police to their suspect.

Law enforcement removed the vehicle from Heuermann’s property in Chester, South Carolina. He owns a plot of land near his brother’s residence. During the investigation and prior to the arrest, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office was requested by the Gilgo Beach Task Force to assist in gathering evidence in at the property relevant to their investigation.

In a statement, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said it “has and will continue to work closely with the FBI and Suffolk County law enforcement authorities during this very important and arduous investigation.”

WATCH: DOCUMENTARY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION - Gilgo Beach: Unsolved

Michael Brown, Heuermann’s court-appointed defense attorney, said on Friday that his client was “distraught” by the arrest.

LIVE BLOG: Updates on the case as they happen 

“The only thing I can tell you that he did say as he was in tears was ‘I didn't do this,’” said Brown. “It’s important that when someone is charged with a crime, you have to afford the presumption of innocence.”