Can you help bring Jessica's killer to justice?
In the summer of 2003, a gruesome discovery was made in the woods of Manorville, New York, beginning a nearly two-decade-long journey for justice for a young woman named Jessica Taylor. On July 26, a dog walker stumbled upon the partial remains of a female body. The victim, a 20-year-old woman, had been dismembered, with only her torso found at the scene. Investigators noted that a tattoo on her body had been deliberately mutilated in an apparent attempt to hinder identification. For months, she remained a Jane Doe.
The breakthrough in identifying the victim came seven months later when a detective in Washington D.C. recognized the damaged tattoo from a missing person's report. The tattoo, a red heart with an angel wing that read 'Remy's angel,' was linked to Jessica Taylor. DNA from her family confirmed her identity. Taylor, originally from Poughkeepsie, had been living in Brooklyn and was known to frequent the area around the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan. She was last seen alive between July 18 and July 21, 2003.
The investigation into Jessica Taylor's murder remained cold for years. A significant development occurred in March 2011 when more of her remains, including her skull and hands, were discovered along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. This discovery linked her case to the larger investigation of the Long Island Serial Killer, a string of unsolved homicides of individuals, many of whom were sex workers, whose remains were found along the same stretch of highway.
For years, the identity of the person responsible for Taylor's death, and the deaths of the other victims, remained a mystery. However, in July 2023, a significant breakthrough was announced with the arrest of Rex Heuermann, a Manhattan architect, in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders. While initially charged with the deaths of three other women, the investigation into his alleged crimes continued. In June 2024, Heuermann was officially charged with the murder of Jessica Taylor. Prosecutors have presented evidence that they believe links him to her death, including DNA evidence found at the scene where her remains were discovered. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
