(NewsNation) — A seventh Gilgo Beach victim, previously referred to as Fire Island Jane Doe, was identified by the Suffolk County District Attorney Friday morning.
The seventh victim was identified as Karen Vergata, who was 34 years old at the time of her disappearance.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney confirmed Vergata’s identity during a Friday press conference, saying she went missing on approximately Feb. 14, 1996. She lived in Manhattan and worked as an escort.
Vergata’s remains were found about a mile west of Davis Park Beach. A DNA profile was developed from her remains and cross-examined with family DNA. In 2011 — 15 years later — additional remains were found in Nassau County. Her skull was found following the discovery of another Gilgo Beach victim, Jessica Taylor.
At the time of this announcement, Tierney said there have been no charges filed at this time.
The identification of a seventh victim comes as authorities seek additional DNA from Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann.
Earlier this week, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office filed paperwork asking a judge to allow prosecutors to swab Heuermann’s cheek as reports begin to surface that the DNA obtained from a pizza crust left behind by the suspect won’t be enough to convict him.
Heuermann’s wife and children have already provided DNA to prosecutors.
An assistant DA has also requested police photograph and video record the suspect’s cheek swabbing process.
The judge has now ordered Heuermann’s lawyer to argue against the request by Tuesday, or provide the swab by Aug. 15.
Heuermann has been charged in the deaths of three of 11 victims in a string of killings in Long Island from over a decade ago.
In 2010 and 2011, skeletal remains were found along a remote oceanfront highway by Gilgo Beach. Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers.
In court, Heuermann pleaded not guilty to the three counts of first-degree murder and three second-degree charges for the deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. Authorities are continuing to work toward charging Heuermann for a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes.
Authorities have cautioned Heuermann may not be responsible for all 11 deaths.
In addition to the investigation in South Carolina, police in Las Vegas announced they were reviewing cases for possible connections to Heuermann.
Heuermann has since denied the charges.
Prosecutors gave Heuermann’s defense team a massive amount of evidence on Tuesday, including autopsy findings, DNA reports and crime scene photos.
Officials say at least 279 weapons were kept inside a thick basement vault large enough to walk into.
The next status hearing in the case has been set for Sept. 27.
