Jamaica-born NY cop was first to investigate Gilgo Beach murders

Jamaica-born Michael King was a detective sergeant with the New York Police Department (NYPD) in the Criminal Investigation Division in 2007 when he first caught the case of Maureen Bernard-Barnes’ disappearance and his search led him to Gilgo Beach in Long Island.

King, who recently retired from the NYPD as an inspector, told The Gleaner that the Barnes case was brought to himself and his partner as a missing person case by police in Connecticut.

“She was a prostitute, so a lot of attention was not paid to her being missing initially. But, when we began investigating, we began to assume that she had been murdered,” he said.

King said he and his partner were led to Giglo Beach because her cell phone at the time pinged in the area.

“We began searching the area. We had one Suffolk County police officer and a police dog working with us at the time,” he said.

Decomposed body

King said they drove spikes into the ground in the area hoping that they would release gas from the decomposed body for the dog to pick up the scent and lead them to the body.

After nearly two years of investigation, the case was turned over to the Suffolk County Police Department who continued to search the area, leading to the unearthing of some 10 bodies of women more than a decade ago.

Last Friday, a joint task force established by Suffolk County Police Chief Rodney Harries arrested a 59-year-old man, Rex Heuermann, and charged him for murder in connection with what is being called the ‘Gilgo Four’.

King said that, during his investigation, they questioned a “person of interest” in the case but that individual was cleared.

He told The Gleaner that his involvement in the Maureen Barnes disappearance case came after the Connecticut police asked for assistance because they had a lead that Barnes was last known to be in New York City.

He said he and his partner had monthly talks with Barnes’ mother, who kept in touch as they investigated her daughter’s disappearance.

King said no one knew about the case, just he and his partner.

According to King, at the time, they were only looking for Barnes as they did not know about the others.

Outside the jurisdiction

“It was the Suffolk County police following up on our lead that led them to the other bodies, he said.

He added that, once they turned over the files to the Suffolk County police, there was no further need for their involvement in the case as it was outside the jurisdiction of the five boroughs of New York City.

Heuermann was charged in the murder of Melissa Barthelemy in 2009, and Megan Waterman and Amber Costello in 2010. He has not been officially charged in the death of Maureen Bernard-Barnes, although he is the prime suspect.

He appeared in court last Friday where he pleaded not guilty.

Investigators say that DNA evidence and cell phone data now point to him as the murder suspect.

Heuermann is an architect on Long Island, where he lives with his wife and two children.

King is happy that closure has been brought to the case of Maureen Bernard-Barnes.