The Long Island Serial Killer - Part 1: Melissa Barthelemy - The First Discovery

It was December 2010 when the first remains were found - those of 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy. Melissa was one of the first escorts to disappear in the early 2000s, vanishing in July 2009 after meeting with a client. Originally from Erie County, New York, Melissa moved to New York City in 2007, drawn by dreams of making it big in the city. She worked as a hairdresser by day and escort by night to pay the bills. Friends described her as full of life and ambitious, determined to build a better future. That dream was cut short sometime after her last phone call on July 10, 2009.

 

Over the next year, three more women would go missing - Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, and Amber Costello. Megan, just 20 years old, disappeared in June 2010 after leaving for a client meeting on Long Island. She was raising a young daughter and pursuing her nursing degree in Maine. Maureen Brainard-Barnes, a 25-year-old mother of two, came from Norwich, Connecticut. She went missing in July 2007 after telling her family she was going to New York City for a few days. Amber Lynn Costello was last seen in September 2010 on the west side of Long Island. At 27, Amber had battled drug addiction but was said to be improving her life. She lived in North Babylon, New York with her sister and young daughter.

 

Despite coming from different backgrounds, the women were connected by their work in the sex trade. They had turned to escort services as a way to earn money and pursue their goals and dreams. Their families pleaded for help finding them, but the disappearances gained little public attention at the time. It would not be until December 2010 that their fates would start to be uncovered.

 

That month, a Suffolk County Police officer and his cadaver dog were searching for a missing New Jersey prostitute in a remote stretch of beach on Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. Just 500 feet from the road, the dog alerted - human remains had been found. Police excavated the area, uncovering the bodies of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. Severed legs, hands, and a skull were also found nearby but not identified. Five more bodies would be discovered over the next year, with one toddler victim connected to an unidentified adult Jane Doe.

 

Ten bodies total, all within walking distance of each other. Some were dismembered, while others were whole. With the similar profiles of the victims and close dump sites, fears arose that a serial killer was preying on sex workers on Long Island. The press dubbed the unknown perpetrator the "Long Island Serial Killer."

 

For the victims' families, the discoveries were bittersweet. They finally had answers about their lost loved ones but were left imagining the horrors they may have endured. Melissa Barthelemy's sister Amanda broke down after hearing Melissa was one of the Gilgo Beach victims, telling reporters “My sister was brutally murdered and dumped in the woods like she was trash.” She lamented that sex workers are often seen as disposable members of society. “These girls are human beings,” she urged.

 

The victims came to be known in the press by their first names - Melissa, Megan, Maureen, Amber. Their identities were intertwined with the mystery of their deaths. Each woman’s life held promise and meaning beyond the serial killer narrative. Melissa dreamed of being a music producer. Megan adored her little girl. Maureen was said to light up any room with her laugh. Amber struggled with addiction but had a caring heart. The Gilgo Beach case not only represented an elusive serial murderer but the lost potential of his victims. Their families hoped keeping their stories alive could help bring justice someday.

 

Melissa Barthelemy - The First Discovery

 

Of the victims found along Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011, 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy was recovered first. The discovery of her remains on December 11, 2010 was the initial breakthrough in the Long Island serial killer case.  Melissa grew up in Buffalo, New York and was extremely close with her family. Her mother Lynn kept scrapbooks tracing Melissa's life from birth onwards. As a kid, Melissa was a gifted dancer who dreamed of becoming a music video choreographer. In her teens, she fell in with a rebellious crowd and dropped out of school.

 

Seeking a fresh start, Melissa moved to New York City in 2007 and became a hairdresser. She rented a basement apartment in the Bronx. Friends said Melissa loved the city life and enjoyed going out dancing and to clubs.  To supplement her hairdressing income, Melissa turned to escort work, advertising online. The money helped her afford a new car, clothes, and travel. On the surface, it seemed she was thriving in New York. But her mother Lynn worried about the risks of Melissa's secret life. In daily calls back home, Melissa told Lynn not to stress. She felt in control of her situation. “I’m a big girl now,” she said. “I know what I’m doing.” Their last conversation came on July 10, 2009, ending abruptly when Melissa said she had to go.

 

When Melissa suddenly stopped calling home, her family knew something was terribly wrong. They reported her missing on July 18, but police found little proof of foul play. Desperate for leads, Lynn started a website about Melissa's disappearance. She couldn't let the case go cold. Then a chilling voicemail came in August 2009 from Melissa's cell phone. In it, a man's voice taunted, "I killed Melissa." More menacing calls followed, some playing music and others threatening violence. The unknown caller even described morbid details about how he disposed of Melissa's body. Police traced the calls to cell towers in Times Square and Massapequa, Long Island. But attempts to track down the caller failed. Lynn was willing to believe the disturbing voicemails if it meant finding Melissa. “As long as I get answers, I don’t care,” she told reporters.

 

With no other leads, Melissa’s case stalled over the next year. Then came the discovery of her body at Gilgo Beach in December 2010, confirming Lynn’s worst fears. The location pointed to a Long Island link, sparking the serial killer theory. Melissa became the investigation's gateway victim - the first life lost in what had become an unfathomable murder web. Finding her remains enabled police to identify three other missing escort victims and raise alarms about a possible serial predator.

 

For Melissa’s grieving family, the confirmation of her murder brought fresh waves of pain and outrage. "I lost my baby girl," Lynn told Dateline after the Gilgo Beach discoveries. “And it's not fair she's gone."

Melissa’s sister Amanda took on a vocal advocacy role, speaking out about violence against sex workers. She blamed unfair stigma for allowing the Long Island killer to fly under the radar. “Society deems [the victims] expendable,” Amanda said at a 2011 vigil. “But no one deserves this."

 

That stigma threatened progress in Melissa’s case at times. Suffolk County police downplayed her escort work, with one spokesman calling it “irrelevant.” Her mother Lynn battled to keep the spotlight on solving the murders, not judging the victims. “It doesn't matter what a person does,” she stressed. On the two-year anniversary of Melissa being found, Lynn sued the Long Island police department for more transparency. She accused officials of secrecy and mishandling that let her daughter's killer escape. Authorities denied cover-ups but disclosed few new details to the public. Hoping to shake loose clues, the FBI took up the Gilgo Beach case in 2012.

Investigators reviewed evidence and re-traced the digital footprints of Melissa and the other victims. The trail had long gone cold, but officials hoped fresh eyes might find overlooked leads. On the third anniversary of Melissa's remains being discovered, police again searched the Gilgo Beach area for any new evidence. Melissa's mother told reporters the ongoing mystery tormenting her. “It's been horrible not knowing what happened,” Lynn said. By 2016 - over six years after Melissa's murder - her devastated family held little hope the killer would ever be caught. “We don't even pay much attention anymore,” said sister Amanda Barthelemy. “It’s like we’re just standing still.” The case of Melissa Barthelemy remains unsolved today. But she will be remembered as the first life lost to a Long Island serial killer, bringing light to other victims. While authorities have made little progress in recent years, Melissa's family and friends still cherish her memory and spirit. Her murder forever changed those who loved Melissa and the community struggling to make sense of the Gilgo Beach horrors.