Can you help bring Valerie's killer to justice?
In the spring or summer of 2000, a 24-year-old woman named Valerie Mack, who was White, vanished from Port Republic, New Jersey. A mother to a young son, she had been working as an escort in Philadelphia, sometimes using the alias Melissa Taylor. Her family never reported her missing, and for years, her fate remained a mystery. The first grim discovery was made on November 19, 2000, in a wooded area in Manorville, New York, when hunters stumbled upon partial human remains. For two decades, the identity of this Jane Doe, sometimes referred to as 'Jane Doe #6,' was unknown.
The investigation took a significant turn in April 2011, during the search for another missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. More of the unidentified woman's remains were found in this area, linking her to a string of unsolved murders that had haunted Long Island. It wasn't until May 2020 that advances in forensic genealogy finally gave the remains a name: Valerie Mack. This breakthrough provided her family with a tragic answer but also reignited the quest for her killer. The cause of her death was determined to be a homicide.
For years, the case grew cold, one of many connected to the suspected Long Island Serial Killer. Then, in a dramatic development, architect Rex Heuermann was arrested in July 2023 and charged with the murders of several other women whose remains were found in the same area. In December 2024, Heuermann was also charged with the second-degree murder of Valerie Mack, bringing his total number of alleged victims to seven.
Prosecutors revealed a chilling array of evidence allegedly connecting Heuermann to Mack's death. This included the discovery of female hairs on her remains that were genetically linked to Heuermann's daughter, who would have been a toddler at the time of the murder. Investigators also found a 'planning document' on a computer belonging to Heuermann, which they believe was a blueprint for his crimes. The document reportedly mentioned a road near where Mack's initial remains were discovered as a potential 'dump site.' Furthermore, authorities found that Heuermann had conducted internet searches about Valerie Mack around the time she was publicly identified. Despite the evidence presented by the prosecution, Rex Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Valerie Mack and the other women he is accused of killing.
