New search underway tied to Gilgo Beach murder investigation: Sources

(NEW YORK) — Investigators are searching a wooded area in Manorville, New York, as part of the Gilgo Beach murders investigation, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The search began Tuesday and continues Wednesday, the sources said.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the specific nature of the search.

“The Suffolk County Police Department, the New York Police Department and the New York State Police are working with the District Attorney’s Office on an ongoing investigation,” the district attorney’s office said. “We do not comment on investigative steps while they are underway. We will make further statements when appropriate.”

Rex Heuermann has been charged in connection with the deaths of four women whose bodies were found near Gilgo Beach on Long Island more than a decade ago. The women, known as the “Gilgo Four,” have been identified as Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found covered in burlap in December 2010, according to court records.

He has pleaded not guilty to their murders.

Authorities have said their investigation continues to see if they can link Heuermann to any of the six other victims found in the general area.

While officials have not discussed what they are looking for in the new search, Manorville has come up in connection with the Gilgo Beach murders in the past.

The remains of Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old sex worker, were found several miles east of the “Gilgo Four” in March 2011. Other remains from Taylor were previously discovered in Manorville, in eastern Long Island, in July 2003.

The remains of Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old escort, were found in April 2011 about a mile and a half east of Taylor’s remains and a little over 2 miles east of the “Gilgo Four.” Mack’s partial remains were previously discovered in Manorville in September 2000, and police have suggested there may be a connection to Taylor’s remains.

No one has ever been charged in their deaths.

ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

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