Gilgo Beach suspect killed victim at family home, investigators suspect

Prosecutors have alleged that Rex Heuermann carried out the killings while his wife and children were away

Investigators suspect a man accused of murdering three women in Long Island may have killed at least one victim at his family home.

Rex Heuermann, 59, last week pleaded not guilty after being charged with the killings of Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Melissa Barthelemy.

Prosecutors have said he carried out the murders when his family were travelling outside the New York area.

The architect's wife, Asa Ellerup, has filed for divorce.

Ms Barthelemy, Ms Waterman and Ms Costello were found dead in 2010 near a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.

Further charges are expected for the suspect in the death of Ms Brainard-Barnes.

The victims, all sex workers, were dubbed the Gilgo Beach Four. They were among 11 sets of human remains found in the area, 50 miles (80km) east of New York City.

Law enforcement sources told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that investigators believe at least one of the Long Island murders took place at the Heuermann home in Massapequa Park, where the alleged serial killer lived with his wife and two adult children.

Police are also looking into whether Mr Heuermann may be connected to unsolved crimes in other parts of the US.

CBS has reported that New York investigators are working with police in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to determine whether Mr Heuermann could be linked to unsolved crimes in that area.

Search warrants have already been carried out on locations in Las Vegas and South Carolina, where Mr Heuermann had ties.

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On Wednesday, Ms Ellerup filed for divorce from Mr Heuermann, her lawyer confirmed to CBS.

Court documents submitted to the Suffolk County Supreme Court show the filing is "uncontested".

The BBC has asked her lawyer, Bob Macedonio, for comment.

Speaking to Fox News, Mr Macedonio said that the investigation "is still a whirlwind" for Ms Ellerup and the couple's children.

Selfies taken from an account that investigators have linked to Rex Heuermann

"Her and her children's lives have been completely turned upside down," he said.

While several of Ms Ellerup's hairs were found at the crime scenes - ultimately helping authorities track Mr Heuermann down - investigators have ruled out any possibility that she could have been aware of his alleged crimes.

Police in New York told CBS that the family was "in the dark about his double life".

Those who knew Mr Heuermann have been coming forward to describe their interactions with him.

One woman, 34-year-old Nicole Brass, told CBS she went on a date with him a few years ago in which he seemed "really excited" to discuss the Gilgo Beach murders.

"He was very detailed," she said, "and it didn't seem like somebody who was just a true crime fan.

"It seemed like somebody who as they talked about it were reliving it in their head.

"It piqued his interest."