This heartbreaking, frustrating and insane true crime show has knocked Netflix’s Adolescence from the number 1 spot.
Gone Girls is a three-part docuseries where Director Liz Garbus examines the case of alleged killer Rex Heuermann and the trials and tribulations that led to him finally being arrested for the murder of young sex workers. The show is opposite from Adolescence as it concentrates the story from the perspective of his victims and their families.
The opening scene is May 1st, 2010, and we get to hear a 911 call from sex worker Shannon Gilbert in Long Island saying that someone is trying to kill her, and she is terrified. She disappears and all we know was that she was with a client but her exact movements and interactions that night remain elusive and obscure.
It took 8 months for law enforcement to search for Gilbert and it becomes clear that their apparent indifference is influenced by the fact that she was an escort. After repeated calls from Shannon’s mother to start a search they finally begin to look, and this becomes the catalyst to them unbelievably finding the remains of ten different women on Long Islands beach strip. That search would have not happened unless Gilbert’s mother Mari had not pressured the police to try and find her daughter.
Shannon Gilbert was a sex worker, so in the law enforcements eyes finding her was a low priority, which in my opinion is disgraceful. So, by December 2010 they had found a set of four skeleton remains very close to each other none of which were Shannon Gilbert. The officials called them the Gilgo Four.
Shannon’s body was finally found in 2011.
The four were Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello who were also sex workers who disappeared between 2007-2010. These women were unidentified for nearly 12 years until technology helped the new authorities finally let their families put their relatives to rest.
It seemed obvious a serial killer was prowling the area, but would the police agree?
The second episode concentrated on the corruption, complacency and misogyny from the district attorney office right the way through to the chief of police. They simply didn’t care and were more interested in feathering their nests. It wasn’t until they were unmasked and sent to prison did the new regime investigate these cold cases, to not only get restitution for the victims but to catch a killer still on the loose.
Garbus was the Director of Lost Girls in 2020, which was inspired by Shannon’s disappearance and its clear she wants to highlight the violence inflicted on women and the associated indifference that can occur, especially if they work in the sex world.
The final episode shows how the new regime catches Rex Heuermann, a Long Island resident and architect in Manhattan. This proves to be a riveting episode, although anger filled, as you learn that he was operating right under the noses of police for too long.
The problem with this series is it dragged on a bit; they could have made it into a stand-alone movie which would have made the action more compelling.
It is disappointing that you don’t find out the “why” behind Hauermann’s crimes but maybe that is because he is pleading non guilty. He has that face that he looks familiar, as in you have seen he in a different true crime show before. Very weird looking.
What was interesting was the Long Island press reporter Jaclyn Gallucci who gives great insights and a local viewpoint of the cast of characters involved, as well as showcasing the relevance of the areas where the bodies were found.
This case is not over as the trial hasn’t even started yet, and Rex’s family are making a documentary about their lives and the upcoming court date. It’s hard not to view it as anything other than a cynical way to make money out of people’s fascination with grizzly crimes.
This story has some way to run.
I would say it is a good addition to the true crime documentary lexicon, but it isn’t an amazing one.