A new Netflix true crime documentary series that premieres on March 31, 2025, centers on a breakthrough in the notorious Long Island Serial Killer cold case. The murderer has terrorized a small seaside town in New York for almost two decades, despite being linked to the deaths of at least eleven women.
Who is the Long Island Serial Killer?
The documentary explores the unsettling killings that surfaced when the remains of young women were discovered along a section of Long Island’s Ocean Parkway. The victims who were identified were sex workers from the New York City area; some had been missing for nearly ten years.
Although it became evident that a serial killer was specifically targeting this group, the investigation stalled for over 13 years. However, a breakthrough occurred in 2023, when a man suspected of being the “Long Island Serial Killer” was arrested.
The killer is known as the Long Island Serial Killer, and the case became known as the Gilgo Beach murders. The disappearance of Shannan Gilbert—who, like many of the known victims, worked as an escort—sparked a search that led to the discovery of multiple remains. In December 2010, four victims were found at Gilgo Beach, within a quarter-mile of one another.
In March and April 2011, six additional sets of remains were discovered in Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York. Later that year, about nine miles from the location of the other remains, Shannan Gilbert was found during an excavation.
After becoming lost in a marshy area, authorities determined that she died either from exposure or accidental drowning. Netflix previously released Lost Girls in 2020, a drama following the mother of one of the Long Island Serial Killer’s victims and her quest for justice. Despite renewed public attention, the case remained unsolved for nearly a decade.
A significant development occurred in 2023, when 59-year-old architect Rex Andrew Heuermann, from Nassau County, was arrested. By 2024, he faced three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and an additional homicide charge. Heuermann pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The three-episode documentary series, The Long Island Serial Killer, which debuts on March 31, examines the extensive investigation that led to a long-awaited arrest and the stigma surrounding the victims’ profession. The show, directed by Liz Garbus—who also helmed Lost Girls—features interviews with journalists, law enforcement officials, and friends and family of both the accused killer and the victims.