Woman's death getting a second look for possible ties to Gilgo Beach case

Police uncovered the remains of Carmen Vargas on the side of the Meadowbrook Parkway in Freeport in 1989.

News 12 Staff

Sep 8, 2023, 9:42 PM

Updated 457 days ago

Share:

There's another cold case that's getting a second look for possible ties to the Gilgo Beach case.
Rex Heuermann is facing murder charges for the deaths of three women whose bodies were found along Gilgo Beach. As News 12 has reported, Heuermann is also the prime suspect in a fourth killing. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The body of Carmen Vargas was found not far from Heuermann's Massapequa Park home -- decades before the Gilgo Beach bodies were uncovered.
Police uncovered the remains of Vargas on the side of the Meadowbrook Parkway in Freeport in 1989. Vargas was a 29-year-old sex worker from East Harlem.
According to state police, Vargas had her legs tied at the ankles with a towel around her neck, which was also tied with a rope. The Gilgo Beach victims were either bound or wrapped in burlap.
A spokesperson for the Nassau District Attorney's Office issued a statement saying, "We're working with our law enforcement partners to review unsolved homicide cases that fit the alleged pattern of Rex Heuermann. With regards to the investigation of the murder of Carmen Vargas, I'd have to refer you to the New York state troopers as they are the lead agency."
State police say that the Vargas case is an open and ongoing investigation and that all avenues will get fully investigated.