'Asian Doe' was wearing a Bill Blass-designed bra and pants, along with a 'Rafaella' brand shirt, when the trans victim's body was discovered in the bramble off Ocean Parkway, Long Island on April 4, 2011.
Gilgo Beach homicide investigators now strongly believe the unidentified murder victim had ties to the Han community of southern China, more than seven thousand miles away.
At a crowded press conference, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney released several images that showed feminized versions of Asian Doe, the biological male who was dressed "exclusively in women's clothing," according to Tierney.
"It is possible they identified as a woman," the D.A. added.
Tierney explained that, using the expertise of a forensic anthropologist, scientists at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, known as NCMEC, created three new sketches of the unknown victim that were sent to the Gilgo Beach Homicide Task Force. One image showed 'Asian Doe' as they might have looked with long hair, presenting as a woman.
"He was a teenager or very young adult," Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney reminded reporters at the briefing. "It's important that this victim get their name back."
Forensic pathologists have estimated Asian Doe was between 17 and 23 years of age when killed, slim, approximately 5'3" to 5'9", and was dead at least five years when discovered.
"The cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma," D.A. Tierney noted.
We had previously reported that Asian Doe's face and skull were crushed.
Architect Rex Heuermann, the accused Long Island Serial Killer (LISK), has not been charged with Asian Doe's murder, but the victim was found very close geographically to women Heuermann is already accused of killing.
"I think it was about 300 or so feet from Megan Waterman," District Attorney Tierney said Monday. "Between Megan Waterman and Jessica Taylor."
Megan Waterman was one of the Gilgo 4, the first victims discovered in the brush off Ocean Parkway in December 2010. Waterman was last seen leaving a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge, Suffolk County in June of that year.
Surveillance image of Megan Waterman leaving Holiday Inn Express on LI on June 6, 2010.
Jessica Taylor's skull, hands, and one forearm were found in the spring of 2011 east of Asian Doe on Ocean Parkway. Heuermann has pleaded not guilty to the murders of six women, including Taylor's killing, and he's the prime suspect in a seventh case.
Tienery also responded to a question about Rex Heuermann's alleged internet searches tied to effeminate, Asian men, and he noted some of this online activity was referenced in the first bail document in July 2023.
The District Attorney also responded to a question about genetic material that may have been recovered at Asian Doe's crime scene.
"We do have DNA," D.A. Tierney revealed.
Tierney said he'd invited Asian media outlets to the press conference, hoping to get the new information and images about the unidentified murder victim to many Chinese communities, in particular. Unfortunately, efforts to use genetic genealogy to get an identity have been unsuccessful, so far. The D.A. noted the Asian community "is under-represented in our genealogy databases; they tend to be an insular community." He asked people to reflect on a young person they may have known in the Asian culture who went missing in the late 1990's or early to mid 2000's.
Posters containing much of the information available about Asian Doe were printed in multiple languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and Bahasa, which is a language spoken in Indonesia.
The District Attorney added the investigation is receiving help from the FBI, which will post the new 'Asian Doe' images on a social media page associated with its Violent Criminal Apprehension Bureau.
The D.A. also displayed photos of the labels found on Asian Doe's clothing.
Along with the Bill Blass bra and pants, and the Rafaella-brand shirt, Asian Doe was wearing a 'Chyrsantheme' blue, ribbed, short-sleeve shirt with a crew neck.
The labels found on Asian Doe's clothing.
'Asian Doe' is one of three victims still unidentified, who were discovered along Ocean Parkway in 2011 during a follow-up search, after the first Gilgo victims were found.
Remains tied to a dismembered murder victim known as 'Peaches' were found on the Nassau County side of Ocean Parkway in April 2011. Her biological daughter, a female toddler, was found ten miles east in Suffolk County, not far from dismembered Gilgo victim, Valerie Mack.
A total of ten sets of remains turned up in the bramble. An 11th person, Shannan Gilbert, was discovered in a marsh inside Oak Beach, one year after the Gilgo Four were found.
Recent cases on corruption in the Fire Safety Department imply that corruption has become systemic. Crime resolution has also been delayed by past corruption at Suffolk County PD. It is so sad that FBI help was not accepted early on.
I am curious whether it is true that even if the Chevy Avalanche was identified by Amber's friend, the database tools to connect the alleged LISK with the vehicle were unavailable then. In which case, technology and not corruption delayed the identification. The phone records that narrowed the suspect to a confined area in Massapequa Park plus the vehicle description were both necessary and available but were connected too late to save the later victims.
The Chinese language flyer (pdf version) on Asian Doe has a mistake; some words not translated. I hope they correct that before releasing it.
I think Asian Doe's family did not make a missing person report maybe because the Asian community is generally conservative and traditional and not about to endorse the trans/LGBTQ/SW lifestyle. Mary, you are right about the multiple language flyers helping in resolving this identity mystery. Asian Doe, like Peaches and other unidentified victims deserve to get back their names.
By the way, Nathan Adams in a video pointed out that when LE wants a victim to be identified, there should be photos of the victim always (in the background or somewhere on the screen) during the broadcast. Yet, this time, during the press conference the actual time spent on DA showing the photos was much less than time spent recording…
What an informative, clear and concise website, great interview with the DA.
The new drawings are much more likely to identify Asian Doe, unless the victim was a newly arrived foreigner from Macau or elsewhere in the south part of mainland China. I hope Asian Doe can be identified soon. Maybe they can do the same facial reconstruction for the Asian male Captree (?) victim too, even though the murderer could be someone else; however, proximity to other victims suggests alleged LISK is responsible.