Gilgo Beach 'Jane Doe No. 7' Is Finally Identified

Authorities have identified another of the murder victims buried years ago at Long Island's Gilgo Beach, reports the New York Post. The woman previously referred to as "Jane Doe No. 7" is Karen Vergata, says Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. Vergata disappeared on Valentine's Day of 1996 at age 34. Her remains were identified through DNA genetic genealogy, he said. The development is part of the reinvestigation of the Gilgo Beach murders that led last month to the arrest of architect Rex Heuermann, per the AP. However, her death has so far not been officially linked to the suspect.

Heuermann has been charged with killing three other women found at the beach and is the prime suspect in a fourth death. Vergata, like those four women, had worked as an escort before her death, say authorities. She was never reported missing, but court documents show that her father had hired a private investigator to look for her. Vergata called him the day she went missing to wish him a happy Valentine's Day. "It's important that we remember and honor not only Ms. Vergata but all the victims on Gilgo Beach," said Tierney, who declined to take questions at Friday's news conference. A total of 11 bodies have been found there. (More Gilgo Beach stories.)