Sandra Costilla: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?

Sandra Castillo had always been relentless and bravely overcame the tough times. However, her life came to a sudden halt in November 1993 when she went missing. After a few days of her disappearance, her remains were discovered in the North Sea, Southampton. Although there was a prime suspect in the tragic murder, he was never charged, and the case started going cold. Ultimately, an ongoing investigation finally brought the alleged killer before everyone more than three decades later. Netflix’s ‘Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer’ dives into how the investigators linked the murder to a new suspect years later and the evidence that assisted them in the process.

Sandra Costilla’s Disappearance Turned Out to be a Part of Serial Killings

Sandra Rajcoomar Costilla was born on August 25, 1965, in Sangre Grand, a small town in Trinidad and Tobago. Her arrival in this world filled the lives of her parents, Ramkissoon R. “Ramki” Rajcoomar and Molly E. Rattansingh, with joy. From childhood, she had always been inspired by her father, a dedicated police officer who served the community with diligence and ensured the safety of every person around him. She was also the apple of the eye for her brother, and the duo shared memorable times filled with nothing but laughter. Her life was going perfectly until an immense tragedy struck her household in 1972. Sandra and her brother lost both of their parents at the cruel hands of fate, leaving them without their guidance and love at a very young age.

Following their parents’ death, Sandra and her brother moved to Arima, trying to build a new life together. As she got older, she sought a fresh start and soon found love beyond her homeland. In 1984, at 19 years of age, she married Benjamin Costello in Hawaii, which marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life. That same year, she was issued her social security number in the state, indicating her official entry into the system as a resident of the country. She eventually relocated to New York, where she tried to establish herself, but life in the city was not at all easy. She continued to persevere until, one day, her life came to a sudden halt after she went missing under mysterious circumstances in November 1993.

On November 21, two hunters came across the horrific sight of Sandra’s remains in a wooded area in North Sea, Southampton, and notified the police. When the authorities first arrived, identifying the victim proved to be challenging. However, it was overcome when they matched 28-year-old Sandra’s fingerprints with the available records. It was revealed that she was arrested in 1992 when she tried to jump over a subway turnstile in New York. The autopsy determined that Sandra had been strangled to death and possibly sexually assaulted. What troubled the authorities was the fact that they could not find her family or acquaintances. When they reached her last address at Queens, it turned out she had not been living there for a year. As the search intensified, a full-blown investigation was launched to find the killer.

New Leads in the Murder of Sandra Costilla Surfaced Over 30 Years Later

With no viable suspects in sight, Sandra Costilla’s murder investigation started going cold. It was not until July 2014 that they ultimately had a suspect in a local carpenter named John Bittrolff, who was arrested and charged with the murder of Colleen McNamee and Rita Tangredi. What sparked the interest of the officials was the fact that their remains were found in the exact same manner as Sandra’s. However, the hair in the scene where Sandra was found did not match him. Although they were unable to charge him for this killing, he continued to be the prime suspect in the case. A fresh lead appeared for the horrific murder when the investigation for the infamous Gilgo serial killings took a new turn. On March 14, 2022, the officials identified a new suspect — Rex Andrew Heuermann.

With concrete evidence in hand, Rex was allegedly considered the suspect and was arrested on July 13, 2023. By January of the following year, the accused was charged with the murders of Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, and Melissa Barthelemy. This led law enforcement to reach out to 114 sex workers, prompting them to conduct another search in the suspect’s basement. They found shocking evidence from his computer during a forensic search of digital data. They allegedly discovered disturbing pornography related to bondage and torture, which could be traced back to 1994. Additionally, they found a deleted Microsoft Word document titled “HK2002-04,” where he had documented the planning of how he wanted to carry out the murders and the supplies he might need.

Following this, the police expanded their search to the North Sea, where Sandra’s body was originally found in 1993. The three strands of hair found on Sandra’s body were retested in 2023 and 2024. Shockingly, the DNA of the male hair sample that was found on her remains turned out more likely to be a match with Rex Heuermann. Finally, on June 6, 2024, he was charged with the murders of Sandra Costilla in 1993 and Jessica Taylor in 2003. The officials allegedly believed that this meant the accused had been hurting people for over three decades. He was reportedly also charged with the murder of Valerie Mack on December 17, 2024. Since the prosecution started, Rex has continued to maintain his innocence and has pleaded not guilty to all 7 counts of charges.