Megan Waterman: How a Pizza Crust Connected Heuermann to Gilgo

This episode of 'Hidden Killers' with Tony Bruschi explores the tragic case of Megan Waterman, a 22-year-old mother from Scarborough, Maine, who disappeared in June 2010 after traveling to Long Island to work as an escort to support her young daughter. Her final known sighting was on surveillance footage from a Holiday Inn Express in Long Island, where she left at 1:15 a.m. on June 6, 2010, never to return. Her family reported her missing within two days, recognizing the gravity of her silence—Megan never missed a daily call to her daughter. Six months later, her remains were discovered alongside three other victims in the Gilgo Beach area, part of what became known as the Gilgo Four. The breakthrough in the case came in 2022 when investigators linked Rex Hewerman to Megan’s murder through a discarded pizza crust recovered from a Manhattan trash can, which yielded DNA matching evidence found on the burlap wrapping her body. Prosecutors allege Hewerman meticulously planned his crimes around his family’s travel schedule, using burner phones and Craigslist to lure victims. His search history revealed he had been obsessively monitoring the investigation and even searching for images of the victims’ children and families. The episode underscores how Megan’s unwavering commitment to her daughter—her daily calls—was the key to triggering the missing persons report and ultimately helping bring justice after 13 years of silence. The story is a powerful testament to the resilience of families and the enduring impact of a mother’s love, even in death.