Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney and his team are undertaking a new initiative to identify an unidentified murder victim, known as “Asian Doe,” by collecting DNA samples from the community in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The victim, whose remains were discovered buried in women's clothing along Gilgo Beach in April 2011, is believed to be of Asian descent.
Prosecutors were present in Chinatown on Tuesday during National Night Out, a community policing event, to speak directly with residents and solicit voluntary DNA samples. According to Tierney, attempts to identify the victim through traditional DNA analysis have been unsuccessful, partly due to a limited number of Asian individuals in commercial DNA databases.
“Every victim of a crime deserves justice, and that belief is at the heart of our work at the Suffolk DA’s Office,” Tierney stated. “Unfortunately, attempts to identify the victim whose remains were found on Gilgo Beach 15 years ago have been unsuccessful due to the limited number of Asian volunteers in commercial DNA databases.”
Authorities explained to potential donors that their samples could help establish genealogical ties to the victim, who they believe may have been a transgender sex worker. The collected DNA will be sent to a private laboratory for the sole purpose of identifying “Asian Doe” and potentially other unidentified remains of Asian descent. The samples will not be retained by law enforcement or entered into any police databases.
Previous efforts to identify the victim included the release of two facial reconstructions two years ago, which did not yield new leads. Investigators have indicated that the victim was likely killed by blunt force trauma and buried at the location at least five years before the remains were found in 2011. The burial site was not far from where other Gilgo Beach victims' remains were discovered.
Rex Heuermann, the convicted Gilgo Beach serial killer, was not charged in connection with “Asian Doe’s” murder. He is currently serving multiple life sentences for the murders of eight women, all of whom were sex workers, whose bodies were found in and around Gilgo Beach. Investigators noted that Heuermann's internet search history included terms such as “Asian twinks.”