The site where Valerie Mack was found

The remains of Gilgo Beach victim Valerie Mack were discovered in this wooded area near Halsey Manor Road in Manorville, New York.

Mack was a victim of serial killer Rex Heuermann.

On December 17, 2024, Heuermann was charged with her murder after a female hair found near her left wrist allegedly matched his daughter's DNA. He pleaded guilty to the crime in May 2026.

Discovery

On the morning of November 19, 2000, three pheasant hunters were walking along a trail in the area when their dog ran into the bushes and located Mack's remains.

The 24-year-old sex worker had been wrapped in several layers of garbage bags and dumped in the thicket beside an access road.

Her head, hands, and lower right leg were missing.

The autopsy placed the time of death between late September and early November. Further forensic analysis determined she had been dismembered with a handsaw.

On November 29, 2000, Suffolk County Detective Arthur Ahl told the Daily News that the remains were likely dumped in the area between October 8 and November 5.

It appeared the killer had dismembered Mack to hinder identification. By removing her head and hands, he prevented authorities from checking her dental records and fingerprints.

Because the lower right leg was missing, investigators theorized it bore an identifying mark, such as a tattoo.

The killer's strategy was effective, as Mack remained unidentified for two decades, during which she was known as Manorville Jane Doe.

Gilgo Beach

In December 2010, police found the bodies of four women near Gilgo Beach on Jones Beach Island. The victims had been dumped in the bushes beside Ocean Parkway.

Following the discovery, authorities expanded their search along the island.

On April 4, 2011, the police discovered a female skull, hands, and lower leg near Cedar Beach.

The victim was referred to as "Jane Doe No. 6" until DNA tests confirmed the partial remains belonged to the same woman whose torso had been found in Manorville in 2000.

Due to her proximity to the other remains, it became evident she was a victim of the Gilgo Beach serial killer.

Despite finding her skull in 2011, a further nine years passed before authorities identified Manorville Jane Doe.

Valerie Mack

On May 29, 2020, the police announced that Manorville Jane Doe had been identified as Valerie Mack, a missing 24-year-old from Port Republic, New Jersey.

Investigators established her identity using genetic genealogy testing, which enabled them to locate her son, Benjamin. His DNA had been entered into the system after he was incarcerated for an undisclosed crime.

The theory that the killer removed her lower leg to hide an identifying mark proved correct, as prosecutors later revealed that Mack had a tattoo of her son's name on her ankle.

Mack was a sex worker who lost contact with her family during the fall of 2000.

She was born Valerie Lyn Fulton on June 2, 1976.

Valerie spent most of her childhood in the foster system, as her mother, Patricia Fulton, struggled with substance abuse.

The Mack family adopted Valerie when she was nine years old.

Although she initially adapted to her new surroundings, she began associating with "a bad crowd" as she grew older.

In the years that followed, Mack developed a drug addiction and became involved in the sex trade.

In 1994, the 17-year-old gave birth to Benjamin and began living with the child's father in Wildwood, New Jersey. Shortly afterward, she started making regular trips between Wildwood and Philadelphia.

Between 1996 and June 2000, the Philadelphia Police Department arrested her several times for sex-work-related offenses.

Following her disappearance, her family attempted to report her missing, but the police believed she had willingly moved elsewhere.

Mack's last known address was in Philadelphia, and she was known to frequent Atlantic City. However, she may have traveled to New York shortly before her murder, as the last thing relatives heard was that she was traveling there "with a guy."

When the identification was made, her family was shocked to learn that her remains had been discovered 170 miles away at a remote site in Manorville.

Manorville

The lack of streetlights and the secluded nature of the site indicated that the killer was familiar with Manorville.

The rough terrain pointed to someone who was driving a truck or an SUV. Locals remarked that motorists do not drive into the area unless they have an off-road vehicle.

Although public statements from the Suffolk County Police Department suggested Mack was found near the intersection of Mill Road and Halsey Manor, crime scene photographs placed the site further west.

Aerial images showed police vehicles parked on the trail and the adjoining power line access road.

To enter and exit as quickly as possible, the killer likely used the southern entrance on Mill Road.

From there, he followed the path northward until it met another trail at a T-intersection.

He may have chosen the T-intersection as the disposal site because it provided space to turn his truck around and drive back toward the Mill Road entrance.

This was the optimal route to minimize the time spent at the site.

Although there was another entrance on Halsey Manor Road, it would have required a longer drive along the power line access road.

The killer's familiarity with the area was further evidenced by his decision to reuse Halsey Manor Road as a dump site following the 2003 murder of Jessica Taylor.

Rex Heuermann

On December 17, 2024, the Suffolk County DA charged Rex Heuermann with Mack's murder.

The bail application alleged that a "planning document" recovered from his hard drive outlined the crime.

The file, created in 2000, listed "MILL RD" as "DS-1." Investigators believe that DS stands for "dump site."

Heuermann's alleged planning document also included instructions such as "remove head and hands" and "remove ID marks," which corresponded with the nature of Mack's dismemberment.

Prosecutors said that a female hair recovered near the victim's wrist was a nuclear DNA match to Heuermann's daughter, Victoria, who was 3 or 4 years old at the time of the killing.

They also alleged that Heuermann visited the official Gilgo News website to monitor updates on "Manorville Jane Doe" just days before her identification in 2020.

An analysis of a computer disc found in his home office revealed he had a large collection of violent adult material depicting bondage and torture. Additionally, a noticeable increase in downloads of this material occurred in September 2000, coinciding with Mack's disappearance.

On April 8, 2026, Heuermann pleaded guilty to Mack's murder, as well as the deaths of seven others. Two months later, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.