What Did Netflix's Gone Girls True Crime Series Reveal?

Summary

The police operation to catch the Long Island Serial Killer was highly impressive.
Corruption within Suffolk County officials is believed to have hindered the case.
Families of the victims fought for justice, but some didn't live to see the killer caught.

Netflix's latest true-crime series, Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, tells the story of the women who fell victim to alleged murderer, Rex Hauermann. It also focuses on the manhunt for Hauermann, who managed to evade capture for many years. Liz Garbus directed the three-part series, and she also helmed the 2020 drama, Lost Girls, which was based on a book about the case.

Robert Kolker, who wrote the book, is also heavily involved in the Netflix true-crime series, and he offers his expert knowledge of the case. There are a lot of revelations about why the case didn't progress as quickly as it should have, due to certain issues within law enforcement, in addition to the lack of care shown towards the victims and their families.

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By Callum Murray

The Catching Of The Long Island Serial Killer Was An Impressive Police Operation

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer
Cast	Aaron Peck, Isabella Victorson, Char Jones, Nate Terani, Raquel Fernandez and Nicolette Fino
Air Date	March 31, 2025
Directed by	Liz Garbus

A serial killer is always looking over their shoulder from the moment they commit their first murder. Rex Hauermann was no exception to this, and the Netflix documentary reveals that he showed a very keen interest in his own case, and went to great lengths to cover up his crimes. He lured his unfortunate victims, who were sex workers, to their deaths, using burner phones to contact them for meet-ups.

The Suffolk County Police Department joined forces with the FBI and New York State Police to launch a huge investigation that eventually led to Heuermann's arrest in New York City back in 2023. The investigation managed to pinpoint the alleged perpetrator's movements during key times when the victims were murdered, and they were able to locate his work office in Midtown Manhattan, as well as his home in Massapequa Park. The documentary series reveals CCTV footage of Hauermann as law enforcement arrest him in New York City. Turns out, police had retrieved a used pizza crust with Hauermann's DNA on it, and matched it to hairs found on one of the victims, which was all the evidence they needed to make an arrest.

The Gilgo Beach Four

Melissa Barthelemy
Amber Costello
Megan Waterman
Maureen Brainard-Barnes

The Long Island Serial Killer Case Potentially Took So Long To Solve Because Of Corruption

The Netflix true-crime series strongly argues that the Long Island Serial Killer was able to roam free for so long because of corruption by Suffolk County officials. The police chief, Jimmy Burke, and District Attorney, Tom Spota, were entangled in allegations of corruption, and Gone Girls director, Liz Garbus, believes this played a part in justice not being served for the victims of LISK. In an interview with Tudum, she said:

I think Suffolk County under police chief Jimmy Burke and DA Tom Spota was run like a crime syndicate. This is a cautionary tale about how to stop that kind of thing before these kinds of people get into positions of power. This is a cautionary tale about how to stop that kind of thing before these kinds of people get into positions of power.

Jimmy Burke was riddled with complaints throughout his career that were investigated by internal affairs, while Tom Spota played a key part in covering up for him. This led to a lack of collaboration with outside agencies like the FBI, who could have provided key support to the serial killer investigation several years before they eventually got involved.

The Gone Girls Victims' Families Fought For Justice, But Sadly, Not All Of Them Lived To See The Long Island Serial Killer Get Caught

The families of the victims of the Long Island Serial Killer had to fight to get justice, but they did get it, albeit too late for some of them. Shannan Gilbert went missing in May 2010, after a frantic call to 911, where she claimed she was being chased. The search for Shannan led to the discovery of a string of murder victims, whose families had been ignored for years when they raised the alarm about their missing loved ones. Shannan's body was later found in December 2011, but to this day, her death has been treated as an accidental drowning as opposed to murder, which has irked her family members and longtime lawyer, John Ray. Liz Garbus said:

These family members were never going to give up. They knew there was a need to shake the establishment to get attention for this case.

Shannan Gilbert's mother, Mari, fought hard to get answers for all the victims, but she tragically died in 2016, long before Rex Hauermann was arrested. In a horrible twist of fate, Mari was murdered by her daughter, Sarra, in a frenzied stabbing and bludgeoning attack.