This idyllic US town was full of police families - and a serial killer in their midst

This idyllic US town was full of police families - and a serial killer in their midst7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleGetty ImagesThe arrest of architect Rex Heuermann for the murders of several women sent shockwaves through this close-knit community, which happens to be the home of many law enforcementMassapequa, its residents proudly proclaim, is a "cop town."Perched on Long Island's idyllic South Shore, it is just an hour's journey via train from Manhattan.The community is home to New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives, multi-generational cop families, officers from Nassau and Suffolk Counties and members of myriad other law enforcement agencies.And when body parts started to be discovered in 2010 on Gilgo Beach - not far from where local teens lifeguard and families gather in summer - it became clear that a serial killer had been active on Long Island for years.The rumour mill went into overdrive. Was he local? Was he still hunting? And was he, after operating for so long without getting caught, perhaps even wearing a badge?The 2023 arrest of architect Rex Heuermann put to rest those theories - and his admission in court this week to the murders of eight women has brought even further "closure" to Long Island cops, they said."It's a great relief," said Craig Garland, a retired NYPD detective, Massapequa resident and Little League baseball organiser. "There were people out there trying to pin this on a cop and … it brings great closure to the law enforcement community at large [that] this wasn't a cop that was a serial killer."Watch: Key moments in the Gilgo Beach serial killings caseHeuermann, a 62-year-old married father of two, was arrested in July 2023 in Manhattan after authorities obtained his DNA from a discarded piece of pizza outside his mid-town office.Serial killer admits to eight murders in case that haunted Long Island for yearsHis daily commute from Massapequa Park to t...