What to Know About 'Long Island Serial Killer' Case After Suspect Is Arrested

It’s been 13 years since police began investigating the case of the so-called "Long Island Serial Killer," and the breakthrough families have been waiting for may have finally come.

A law enforcement source confirms to PEOPLE that Rex Heuermann, an architect with an office in Manhattan, has been identified as the suspect in the case and arrested.

It is not clear if Heuermann has been charged. PEOPLE was not able to contact him, and it's not clear if he has an attorney.

Police have long searched for the suspect — or suspects — responsible for the killings, in which bodies have been discovered along Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York, and in the surrounding area. The bodies have ranged in age from a toddler to adult and have included both men and women, with little clues left behind over the years.

Here’s what to know about the case.

The First Body Was Discovered in 2010

Investigators first came upon the bodies of four sex workers in the marsh at Gilgo Beach: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27.

Initially, authorities had been looking for Shannan Gilbert — another sex worker who escaped from a home and called 911. After police made the discoveries of the initial four bodies, they uncovered more human remains near beaches in Nassau and Suffolk Counties — including those of Gilbert.

At Least 10 Bodies Have Been Found Along Beaches in Long Island

Investigators have uncovered the remains of at least 10 people, though they have said not all of them are believed to be connected to the same killer.

Those victims include a toddler and an Asian man who was wearing women’s clothing and appeared to be brutally beaten.

There’s a Netflix Movie and a Book About the Case

The case gained notoriety after it became the focus of author Robert Kolker’s 2013 bestselling nonfiction book Lost Girls. The book was later turned into a true crime Netflix movie of the same name, released in 2020 and starring Amy Ryan, Gabriel Bryne, and Lola Kirke.

A Black Belt with Initials Had Been a Clue, Police Said

There’s been few clues for police to work off over the years. However, a black belt recovered at one of the crime scenes appeared to be a clue when Suffolk County police released an image of it in 2020. The black leather belt was imprinted with the letters “WH” or “HM,” which were thought to possibly be the initials of the killer.

It's not clear if the black belt is connected with Heuermann's arrest.

The Killer Possibly Taunted Victims' Friends, Families

A close friend of Brainard-Barnes, the sex worker who vanished in 2007 and because the first known victim once her body was found, told PEOPLE she received a mysterious phone call from a man who taunted her about her friend’s disappearance. “[The man] said she was at a whorehouse in Queens,” friend Sara Karnes told PEOPLE. “And he described her to a T to me.” 

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But that wasn’t the only taunting phone call.

The sister of Barthelemy, who disappeared in 2009 and is the second-known victim in the case, said she received a call as well. “He was very calm,” Barthelemy’s mom, Lynn, told PEOPLE. “The last call he said he had killed her.”