Gilgo suspect Rex Heuermann's kids 'will rebuild' home with 'outpouring of goodwill' after 'emotional toll' of arrest

DEVASTATED family members of accused Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann are in the "eye of the storm" and are desperate to rebuild their home to establish a new sense of normalcy in the wake of his arrest.

Heuermann's estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, and her two adult children, Victoria and Christopher, are focused on restoring the Massapequa Park home they shared with the alleged Long Island Serial Killer "piece by piece" after it was ransacked by police during a 12-day search, Vess Mitev, an attorney for Rex's kids, told The U.S. Sun.

Asa Ellerup and her two children, Victoria and Christopher, are focusing on re-establishing a sense of home in the wake of Rex Heuermann's arrestCredit: Gofundme

Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murders of three Gilgo Beach victims. A fourth murder charge is expected in the coming weeksCredit: AP

Heuermann's modest home in Oyster Bay, New York, is pictured aboveCredit: The Mega Agency

According to Mitev, the entire fabric of the trio's lives has been "torn asunder" by investigators over the last few weeks and they're hoping to use funds from a GoFundMe page recently set up by the daughter of another serial killer to re-establish a sense of home, comfort and privacy amid a torrent of media attention.

"It's unfathomable. It's incredibly taxing," said Mitev during a phone interview last week.

"There's no apt descriptor that could be used to convey the one-in-a-trillion situation they find themselves in. They're doing the best anyone could be but it's very difficult still.

"[They're going to] rebuild piece by piece the home they had. It's the only home they have.

'TORN ASUNDER'

Asa and her two children returned to their family home late last month after being abruptly evicted in the immediate aftermath of Heuermann's arrest on July 13.

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The 59-year-old architect has been charged with the murders of three women found dead a stones-throw away from his home in late 2010. He is expected to be imminently charged with the murder of a fourth woman found dead in the same area.

Mitev said the family barely recognized the home when they were finally permitted to return.

Their bathroom has been destroyed, floorboards have been ripped up, and numerous items of sentimental value are either missing or have been totally destroyed, Mitev says.

The lawyer added that the family didn't have a bed to sleep on and they're finding it "very difficult" to adjust to their new normal.

There's no apt descriptor that could be used to convey the one-in-a-trillion situation they find themselves in. They're doing the best anyone could be but it's very difficult still.
Vess Mitevlawyer for Victoria and Christopher

"The home is a wreck and trinkets and other things of emotional value have been destroyed unnecessarily," Mitev said.

"For example, Victoria was an avid Magic the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and PlayStation 5 player.

"Well, her cards have been destroyed and we found her PS5 smashed into two pieces - there was no need for that.

"It's as if a landlord came in to evict them for being delinquent tenants, but much worse.

"Their home has been completely torn through; nothing is where it was and even if it is where it was, it's not in the state it was left in."

A HELPING HAND

Last week, Melissa Moore, the daughter of the notorious Happy Face Killer, launched a GoFundMe for Asa and her children to raise money to help the family rebuild their home and repair some of the damage caused by investigators.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser has amassed almost $40,000 from over 970 donations.

Mitev says Moore's fundraiser has come as an immense relief for Heuermann's family and they're incredibly grateful to know the public is supporting them.

"It means everything," said Mitev. "They are in the eye of the hurricane and every moment they have to keep reassessing where they stand emotionally and mentally and physically.

"So all support - whether that's an email, a donation, a card, or a note - it all means something, but certainly money is very helpful for them at the moment.

"You have to have the resources to function, and the outpouring of goodwill and remorseful solidarity has been the lone bright spot in what has been a horrific situation for them."

Rex Heuermann's wife, Asa Ellerup, and her kids are struggling to come to terms with the events of the last few weeks, attorneys for the family saidCredit: The Mega Agency

Photos from inside the home show boxes and other items piled high inside a roomCredit: Courtesy Robert Macedonio

The family says much of their home has been destroyed and is in an unlivable conditionCredit: Courtesy Robert Macedonio

Police searched through the home for 12 days straightCredit: AP

Investigators have been coy about what they found but described the search as 'fruitful'Credit: The Mega Agency

Mitev added that while every dollar does help, no amount of money will ever be enough to offset the emotional toll the last few weeks have taken on them.

"They are adrift in a torrential sea," he said. "They're being hit with wave after wave of incredibly challenging and disquieting news on a minute-by-minute basis.

"They find themselves under a constant glare - one they never wanted and never signed up for.

"Money can never put a dent in any of that, other than to help with basic living necessities and make them feel as comfortable and safe as possible."

A 'TREMENDOUS BURDEN'

In launching the fundraiser, Moore told The U.S. Sun that she is one of only a few people who can understand the feelings of isolation, shame, anger, and anguish that Heuermann's family will be battling right now.

Moore's father, Keith Hunter Jesperson, is a truck-driving serial killer who in 1995 was convicted of raping and murdering at least eight women across multiple different states.

Now 44, Moore was just a teenager when her father was arrested. She said she grew up shouldering the burden of her father's sins and saw the toll it took on her mom and two siblings.

So when she saw images of a downcast and defeated-looking Asa sitting on her front porch with her two children hours after police vacated their family home, Moore said she felt compelled to reach out with a hand of compassion and help them.

She set up the GoFundMe late last month and all proceeds raised will be given directly to Ellerup to help keep her and her children afloat.

In addition to helping them buy basic necessities, such as new furniture and other household items, the money will also help to pay for Asa's legal fees for her divorce from Heuermann and cover the cost of any therapy needed for her and her children.

"They’re victims in that they have their worlds ripped apart in an instant. Nothing in their life is or will ever be the same," said Moore, discussing her reason for starting the crowdfund.

"Their childhood home and their sense of certainty have been destroyed. Then the burden to restore their lives and home is fully on them, in the middle of a crisis that makes them temporarily unemployable due to the stress of the trauma and court proceedings.

"No doubt, Rex was the family breadwinner," she added, "so all income has ceased.

"This is a tremendous, new burden on people innocent of any crime."

A HELPING HAND

Less than a week after Rex was arrested, Asa filed for divorce following more than 20 years of marriage.

In a statement at the time, an attorney for the family told The U.S. Sun that their lives had been turned completely upside down and they were struggling to come to grips with the allegations against Heuermann.

Then, over the weekend, Ellerup issued a desperate statement through her attorney begging for peace and privacy from the press so she and her neighbors can establish some sense of "normalcy."

Ellerup then broke her silence for the first time in an interview with the New York Post last Monday, telling the outlet that her children have been crying themselves to sleep and their home has been destroyed by investigators.

“I woke up in the middle of the night, shivering [...] anxiety," Ellerup said.

"My children cry themselves to sleep. I mean, they’re not children. They’re grown adults but they’re my children, and my son has developmental disabilities and he cried himself to sleep."

The backyard was excavated with heavy machineryCredit: AP

Rex Heuermann has been under investigation for more than a yearCredit: Reuters

Ellerup filed for divorce from Heuermann less than a week after his arrestCredit: The Mega Agency

Items of significance for his children have been destroyed, their lawyer saysCredit: Courtesy Robert Macedonio

Among the treasured items was a PS5 that had apparently been broken into two partsCredit: Courtesy Robert Macedonio

Ellerup said that while her home feels unlivable, it's the only thing she and her children have left.

“We did get another chair out from the basement and upstairs so me and my son can sit and talk. He’s so distraught and doesn’t understand, and as a mother, I have no answers for him.

“But I said, ‘We’re together, that’s really what matters right now. That you and me are sitting here together and we will get through this.'”

Ellerup has since said she feels uncomfortable walking down the street in her own neighborhood and is upset by reports her neighbors want her home bulldozed.

Moore, like Ellerup and her children, says she and her family were completely blindsided when the extent of Jesperson's violent crimes was laid bare to them in the spring of 1995.

The Canadian-born truck driver confessed to killing eight women across California, Washington, Oregon, Florida, and Wyoming in the early 1990s.

Jesperson, who claimed to have killed as many as 185, became known as the Happy Face Killer for confession letters he sent to police and the media which he signed anonymously with a smiley face.

Moore said the moniker in particular played on her mind in the aftermath of her father's conviction.

"One of the hardest things was the title of my father's moniker: Happy Face. I felt like I could never put on a happy face in public because it would be a slap in the face of the victims," she said.

"But then I started to disassociate myself from my father's crimes and realize that I obviously didn't do anything wrong and that if I smile - if I'm happy - that's OK.

"And I also realized that I have one life to live - just as [Heuermann's] children and his wife have one life to live."

FORTIFYING RELATIONS

Moore has been in direct contact with Ellerup's attorney to notify him about her fundraiser.

She said since launching the page, she has been overwhelmed with comments and emails from members of the public, voicing their support and sympathy for the family.

Moore said she plans to collate the well wishes and send them directly to Ellerup in an attempt to boost her spirits.

When asked what her own message to Ellerup would be, Moore said she'd tell her: "It gets better."

"The biggest impact is of course emotionally, when you feel ostracized by the general public.

"[After my father was arrested] I also didn’t know there were others 'like me' out there, so I wanted Asa and her adult children to know they aren’t alone and the GoFundMe is a way the community can also express the sentiment.

"The public and media can make you feel like you’re a spectacle, as you’re 24/7 on display with intrusive cameras in your personal space.

"The insomnia from all the stress and with the daily requirements to run your life, such as grocery shopping while being followed, can make you feel more hopeless that this crisis may never let up. Thankfully it does, but it’s a multi-year endeavor.

Moore continued: "Life will never be the same. I hope to show them they will be OK, eventually. The support from the community will expedite their healing.

"The community is here for you; let them embrace you.

"There is a life after that can be beautiful and full of meaning."

Mitev said that he has not been in direct contact with Moore but said he and the family are grateful for her efforts.