“A New York architect was charged with murder in connection to the killings of three of the women who became known as the “Gilgo Four,” according to the Suffolk County District Attorney, in a case that baffled authorities for more than a decade in suburban Long Island. Rex Heuermann – who told his attorney he is not the killer – was taken into custody for some of the Gilgo Beach murders, an unsolved case tied to at least 10 sets of human remains discovered since 2010, authorities said. The case was broken open thanks to cell phone data, credit card bills and DNA testing, which ultimately led them to arrest Heuermann, 59, authorities said.” (CNN, 2023) We rejoice when a maleficent actor is identified and brought to justice. It is just a small piece of closure for the families of the victims of violent crime. Investigative forensics have come a long way, for which we are thankful. We are long past the time of Scotland Yard’s epiphany in 1901 that fingerprint identification was considered voodoo science. We now live in the era of DNA. “The advances in criminalistics continue, and today’s miracle will become tomorrow’s commonplace in crime scene investigation.” (Michael Kurland, 1995) Heuerman’s discard of partially eaten pizza in a place where he might claim any reasonable expectation of privacy. Without DNA, bitemarks if any were comparable ones collected at the four crime scenes may have been the strongest link, much less exacting than Heuerman’s own DNA.
The public-facing reporting reveals another powerful tool in the forensic toolbox, mobile telephone analysis. “The court document alleges cell phone and credit card billing records show numerous instances where Heuermann was in the general locations as the burner phones used to call the three victims “as well as the use of Brainard-Barnes and (Barthelemy’s) cellphones when they use used to check voicemail and make taunting phone calls after the women disappeared. The district attorney said the killer got a new burner phone before each killing.” (CNN, 2023) Burner phones have legitimate purposes, though the term “burner” alludes to something negative or nefarious. OSINT professionals, licensed investigators and competitive intelligence professionals deploy single-use mobile telephony for all sorts of good reasons however all should be aware that geo-location, the identity of both user and recipient, and the content of the communication are eminently acquirable. In the extant homicide investigation, forensics will certainly analyze geo-location data. To estimate a subject’s location, an analyst sees is simple, . . . identify the tower that the phone is connected to, and create a circle around the tower which provides a coverage area for the same. The PCC must necessarily be located somewhere inside that circle. Repeat the circle diagram with the next one to two towers to create a map of overlapping circles. The PCD is in the overlap. Not exact, but enough if surveillance or other investigative information can place the subject near. There are more perfect methods but triangulation is a time-tested method for placing specific PCD in a (generally) specific place, clearly the methodology in the Heuermann court documents that state, “. . . Heuermann was in the general locations as the burner phones used to call the three victims.” (CNN, 2023) For those aspiring PCD forensic techies, the Cellebrite product (among others) is good, although the I.C. has better ones.