Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann and disgraced police chief James Burke, who botched investigation, may have met ‘gay cruising’, claims victims’ lawyer

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann may have met disgraced ex-police chief James Burke while on a Long Island “gay cruise,” prosecutors say.

John Ray, an attorney for the families of two women found dead in New York’s eastern peninsula, said several sources contacted him in the past month to say they had previously encountered Heuermann wandering the area on look for casual sex.

This comes after former Gilgo agent Burke was busted for allegedly offering oral sex to an undercover male park ranger at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Park in Farmingville – an area known for “gay cruising.”

Cruising in this context means walking or driving around a ‘cruising area’ in search of an anonymous, one-time partner.

Long Island is reportedly dotted with gay cruising areas, including the area where Burke was arrested, popularly known as “pickle park.”

Former Gilgo cop James Burke (pictured) was arrested last week for allegedly offering oral sex to an undercover male park ranger at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Park in Farmingville – an area known for “gay cruising”

John Ray (pictured), an attorney for the families of two women found dead in New York’s eastern peninsula, said several sources contacted him in the past month to say they had previously run into Heuermann who was area wandered in search of casual sex

Some longtime residents of Suffolk County, who asked not to be identified, revealed to DailyMail.com that there are many pickle parks scattered around the island and that they are a “breeding ground for sexual activity, prostitution and drugs.”

Attorney Ray has also explored these hunting grounds, in the latest development of his decade-long campaign to secure justice for the murdered women.

He said several sources have told him that the prime suspect Heuermann, 59, was well known in the local “gay cruising” scene – and that there was “no doubt” that this link could have put him in contact with Burke, 59.

“I have several people contacting me because they don’t want to talk to the police, and they have real fears and they don’t want their families to know, but they shared with me that (Rex Heuermann) is a cruiser,” he said. Ray against the American sun.

“Obviously it’s all word of mouth and evidence is hard to come by, but I’ve had several people tell me the same thing.”

Ray added that he is urging the Suffolk County Police Department to investigate any social ties between the two men.

Burke was charged with offering sex acts, indecent exposure, public lewdness, and fifth-degree criminal solicitation on Aug. 22 after being detained near “Pickle Park.”

It came just a month after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Burke bungled the investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders and led a double life that allegedly included smoking crack, cross-dressing and relationships with prostitutes.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and Heuermann’s attorney regarding Ray’s claims.

Ray said several sources have told him that prime suspect Heuermann (pictured) was known in the local “gay cruising” scene – and there is “no doubt” this link could have put him in touch with Burke, 59

Burke (pictured) was charged Aug. 22 with offering sex acts, indecent exposure, public lewdness, and fifth-degree criminal solicitation after he was detained near “Pickle Park.”

“I have several people contacting me because they don’t want to talk to the police, and they have real fears and they don’t want their families to know, but they shared with me that (Rex Heuermann) is a cruiser,” he said. Ray

A single serial killer is believed to be responsible for the Gilgo Beach murders of 11 women, mostly prostitutes who advertised on Craigslist, between 1996 and 2011.

Their bodies were discovered on South Shore beach for several months in 2010 and 2011, following a police investigation into the disappearance of 23-year-old escort Shannan Gilbert.

In December 2010, the remains of four victims, who came to be known as ‘The Gilgo Four’, were found within a quarter of a mile of each other near the beach.

In early 2011, six more sets of remains were found in Suffolk and Nassau counties, which police say predate the beach bodies.

The serial killer went unnoticed for more than a decade — until police charged Long Island architect Heuermann with the murder of three of the “Gilgo Four” victims: Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Costello.