Rex Heuermann’s long-suffering estranged wife finally gets some relief as he faces trial for Gilgo Beach murders

Rex Heuermann’s estranged wife has gotten some relief with officials returning items seized during raids on their Long Island home. 

Asa Ellerup, 59, who has remained by the accused serial killer’s side amid the ongoing Gilgo Beach murder case, had her life turned upside down after cops tore through their residence and storage units in recent months. 

Heuerman, 61, was arrested in 2023 and charged with the murder of six women – at least four of whom were sex workers before their deaths.

While he’s denied any involvement in their deaths and has pleaded not guilty, detectives swooped into his family’s Massapequa Park home and rented storage units to seize items. 

‘The family is thankful and relieved that they’re starting to get some of their personal property back,’ Bob Macedonio, Ellerup’s attorney, told Newsday, adding that the returned items will not be used as evidence in the accused killer’s case. 

‘We’ve been in constant contact with the district attorney’s office, and last month we started to receive the return of personal items that prosecutors determined did not have evidentiary value in the prosecution of Rex Heuermann.’

Heuerrman (pictured in court), 61, was arrested in 2023 and charged with the murder of six women – at least four of whom were sex workers before their deaths

Macedonio told the outlet that the family received ‘in excess of 50 manila envelopes’ and ‘personal electronic devices.’ 

‘We were told by the district attorney’s office that we would continue to receive personal property of Asa [Ellerup], Victoria [Heuermann] and Christopher [Sheridan] on a rolling basis as it’s processed,’ he said. 

Victoria is the daughter of Heuermann and Ellerup, while Christopher is Ellrup’s son from a previous relationship. 

Ellerup filed for divorce six days after Heuermann was charged with the first three murders.

Other items that have been returned, according to Macedonio, include greeting cards from a family member, multiple gift cards sent to the family after Heuermann’s arrest, and personal documents. 

The lawyer revealed that the gift cards totaled approximately $1,000, along with a personal check from someone in Iceland. The amount of the check is unclear. 

Vess Mitev, the attorney representing Victoria and Christopher, said that while some of his client’s personal items were returned last month, a lot more remain in police custody. 

Bob Macedonio, Ellerup’s attorney, said the returned items will not be used as evidence in the accused killer’s case

Mitev told the outlet that authorities took art supplies, antiques, books, clothing, writing instruments, and even personal documentation, including social security cards, passports and their birth certificates. 

‘Puzzled chagrin is the best way to describe my clients and my view that these items still remain in the possession of law enforcement,’ Mitev said.         

In May, Mitev told DailyMail.com Heuermann’s children and ex-wife were just getting their lives back together when cops launched a second raid in a week. 

The attorney said just before officials swooped in to search for clues to lock Huerrman up, Ellerup and their children were putting the ‘last touches’ on their new living room in an attempt to make their home more comfortable. 

Mitev was unable to disclose if Ellerup and the children knew ahead of time about the search.

He said they are ‘understandably in some degree of turmoil because that’s just the byproduct of what is going on.’

‘My clients have a very deep visceral chagrin in any police presence in their house, in their home, and especially where we are almost a year later,’ he said.

Piles of boxes stacked outside grew higher and higher as more evidence was seized in May 

‘Their lives are once again upended, even though by all accounts this time around, it’s much more controlled chaos, but chaos nonetheless.’

During the search, a medical examiner also arrived at the home, which, according to retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone, could mean that investigators are looking into deaths beyond the Gilgo Beach murders.

‘Since they already did this 10 months ago, they had to be able to prove to a judge that they had probable cause to go in there,’ he said.

‘The medical examiner showing up is really interesting.

‘If we see the forensic anthropologist show up, that would be even more interesting and a bit of an eye-opener because they are the doctors that go out and determine what is a human bone or what is an animal bone.’

The new search of Heuermann’s home came after police scoured a shocking new location in the case in woods near Manorville, about 40 miles away, in April. 

Days later, Gilgo Beach murder investigators used K-9 units to search an area in North Sea, Long Island, where a woman’s body was found in 1993.

Their search was in the area where Sandra Costilla’s body was found three decades ago in a murder case that remains unsolved.

Heuermann has since been accused of killing Costilla, Jessica Taylor, Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Valerie Mack.

According to prosecutors, they have linked Heuermann to the murders through cellphone site data and DNA. 

They also say that an alleged manifesto detailing how he carried out the slayings was discovered on a hard drive in his basement. 

Last month police released new information about the Gilgo Beach murders and one of the unidentified bodies, known as ‘Asian Doe.’

Heuermann pleaded not guilty to all counts and currently remains in jail awaiting trial

Map shows where bodies were found in Gilgo Beach 

Gilgo Beach became a dumping ground for a killer – or killers – during the 1990s and early 2000s. In all, 11 bodies were found in the region.

New renderings provide an image of what this victim looked like before his death.

Police say he was likely from Southern China, aged between 17 and 23 and that his death occurred at least five years before his body was found in April 2011.

The biological man was wearing women’s clothing when he was discovered – a bra, blue ribbed crew neck and ‘Rafaella’ branded shirt – prompting investigators to consider that he may have been living as a woman.

‘We believe Asian Doe may have been working as a sex worker. We believe they spent some time in NYC prior to their death,’ Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said. 

Tierney said ‘the taskforce does not forget victims and we will not stop in our pursuit of justice.’

‘This person remains nameless – to us… Someone knows who this individual is.’

A $2,500 reward has been offered for information leading to the identification of the victim.

Heuermann is expected in court on October 16.