en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgo_Beach_serial_killings
4 corrections found
In December 2024, 31 years after her death, Heuermann was charged with her murder.
Heuermann was charged in Sandra Costilla’s murder in June 2024, not December 2024. December 2024 was when prosecutors added the Valerie Mack charge.
Full reasoning
Official and contemporaneous reporting place the Sandra Costilla charge in June 2024.
- The Suffolk County District Attorney’s case page says: "In June 2024, Heuermann was charged again by the grand jury with two more murders." Those two murders were Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor.
- Associated Press reporting on the June 6, 2024 court appearance likewise says Heuermann was charged that day in the deaths of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla.
So the article’s statement that Costilla’s murder charge came in December 2024 is incorrect. December 2024 corresponds to the later Valerie Mack charge, not Costilla’s.
2 sources
- People v. Rex Heuermann - Suffolk-County
In January 2024, Heuermann was charged by the grand jury with a fourth murder. In June 2024, Heuermann was charged again by the grand jury with two more murders. In December 2024, Heuermann was charged again by the grand jury with an additional murder, bringing the total number of homicides charged to seven.
- Gilgo Beach serial killings suspect charged in the deaths of two more women | AP News
Published June 6, 2024 ... prosecutors revealed Thursday as they brought charges against Rex Heuermann in two more killings ... Heuermann ... appeared before a judge to be arraigned in the deaths of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla.
Jackson and Dykes were not identified until 2024.
Tanya Jackson and Tatiana Dykes were publicly identified on April 23, 2025, not in 2024.
Full reasoning
This date is off by about a year.
Multiple reports on the identification announcement state that Nassau County authorities identified Tanya Jackson and Tatiana Dykes on April 23, 2025.
- ABC News reported on April 23, 2025: "Nassau County authorities identified the victims on Wednesday as Tanya Jackson, 26, and her daughter, Tatiana Dykes."
- AP reported the same day that the woman and toddler whose remains had been discovered near Gilgo Beach were identified Wednesday as Tanya Denise Jackson and Tatiana Marie Dykes.
That means saying they were "not identified until 2024" is incorrect.
2 sources
- Authorities identify victims in cold case associated with Gilgo Beach murders - ABC News
By Meredith Deliso April 23, 2025 ... Nassau County authorities identified the victims on Wednesday as Tanya Jackson, 26, and her daughter, Tatiana Dykes.
- Remains of mom, child found near Gilgo Beach ID'd, though deaths may be unrelated to serial killings | AP News
Published April 23, 2025 ... A woman and toddler whose remains were discovered ... were identified Wednesday as a U.S. Army veteran from Alabama and her daughter. Tanya Denise Jackson, 26, of Mobile, had been living in Brooklyn with her 2-year-old daughter, Tatiana Marie Dykes.
May 23, 2022 (2022-05-23): Recording of Shannan Gilbert's 911 call released.
The 911 call was released on May 13, 2022, not May 23, 2022.
Full reasoning
Contemporaneous coverage shows the Shannan Gilbert 911 recording was released 10 days earlier than this timeline entry says.
ABC News reported on May 13, 2022 that Suffolk County police "on Friday released three 911 calls" from the day Gilbert disappeared. Other local coverage from the same day likewise describes the release as occurring on May 13, 2022.
So the timeline entry listing May 23, 2022 is incorrect.
2 sources
- 911 calls released in connection to woman whose disappearance led to Gilgo Beach victims - ABC News
May 13, 2022, 4:19 PM ... Suffolk County police on Friday released three 911 calls made on May 1, 2010, the day Shannan Gilbert ... vanished near Oak Beach.
- Gilgo Beach investigation: Authorities release Shannan Gilbert's 911 calls - CBS New York
Published May 13, 2022 ... authorities released the calls Friday.
In May 2012, Suffolk County medical examiners ruled that Gilbert had accidentally drowned after entering the marsh
The Suffolk County medical examiner did not rule Shannan Gilbert’s death an accidental drowning. The official classification was "undetermined."
Full reasoning
This sentence misstates the medical examiner’s ruling.
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office classified Shannan Gilbert’s death as "undetermined" in 2012. CBS New York’s report on the autopsy results says: "The results released Tuesday classify Gilbert's death as 'undetermined,' according to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office."
A New York court decision later summarized the same point, noting the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office labeled both the cause and the manner of Shannan Gilbert’s death "Undetermined."
Police later expressed a view that her death was most likely accidental, but that is different from saying the medical examiners ruled accidental drowning.
2 sources
- Medical Examiner Classifies Shannan Gilbert's Death As 'Undetermined' - CBS New York
May 2, 2012 ... The results released Tuesday classify Gilbert's death as "undetermined," according to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office.
- Estate of Gilbert v. Hackett (2018 NY Slip Op 28349)
Footnote 11 ... the Suffolk County Medical Examiner Office's labeling both the cause and the manner of Shannan Gilbert's death "Undetermined."