Rex Heuermann Disciplined for Drug Possession and Alleged Smuggling Attempt Inside New York’s ‘Little Siberia’ Prison

Rex Heuermann was caught by correctional officers in mid-July trying to smuggle something into prison, and was later disciplined for drug possession.Newsday

Rex Heuermann, the convicted Gilgo Beach serial killer now serving the rest of his life behind bars, has already run into disciplinary trouble inside one of New York’s most notorious maximum-security prisons.

Heuermann, 62, was cited in mid-July after correctional officers caught him attempting to smuggle an unidentified package into Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, according to prison disciplinary records.

He was subsequently disciplined for possessing unspecified drugs. The records do not identify the substance authorities say was discovered or reveal what was inside the package he allegedly tried to bring into the facility.

A disciplinary hearing concerning the incidents was scheduled for Aug. 18.

The violations come only weeks after Heuermann was transferred to the remote prison following his sentencing for the murders of eight women whose remains were discovered in areas along Long Island.

Life inside the prison known as ‘Little Siberia’

Heuermann is set to spend the remainder of his days Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.Getty Images

Clinton Correctional Facility sits in the Adirondack Mountains, close to the Canadian border, and is one of New York’s oldest prisons.

Its isolated location and severe winters have helped earn it the nickname “Little Siberia.”

The maximum-security complex is surrounded by enormous concrete walls measuring approximately 60 feet high and seven feet thick. It has housed some of New York’s most infamous convicted killers.

Heuermann is now incarcerated there alongside fellow Long Island serial killer Joel Rifkin and Heriberto Seda, who became known as the “New York Zodiac.”

For Heuermann, the move marked the beginning of a sentence from which he will never be released.

Heuermann admitted killing eight women

The former Manhattan architect pleaded guilty in April to murdering eight women whose disappearances and deaths became part of the sprawling Gilgo Beach investigation.

The discovery of human remains near Gilgo Beach began in December 2010 and eventually developed into one of Long Island’s most notorious unsolved criminal investigations.

For more than a decade, authorities were unable to identify the person responsible.

The investigation was revived in 2022, and investigators gradually focused their attention on Heuermann. He was arrested the following year.

One crucial piece of evidence came from DNA investigators obtained from a discarded pizza box linked to Heuermann.

After years of denying responsibility, Heuermann ultimately admitted his involvement in the eight killings as part of a plea agreement.

In June, a judge imposed multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Decades-old investigation finally led to his arrest

Heuermann’s arrest brought a dramatic turn in a mystery that had haunted Long Island for years.

Investigators connected him to women whose remains had been recovered from remote areas, while the subsequent investigation also turned its attention toward his Massapequa Park home.

According to the case against him and his eventual admissions, most of the victims were killed inside the basement of the family residence while Heuermann’s wife, Asa Ellerup, and their children were away.

Authorities said Heuermann had created a concealed area in the basement that prosecutors described as a “kill room.”

The case continued expanding after his initial arrest as investigators examined additional evidence and sought to determine whether he could be connected to other unresolved deaths.

His April guilty plea ultimately resolved the murder charges involving eight victims.

An unusual role with the FBI may lie ahead

Despite spending the rest of his life in prison, Heuermann could still become part of efforts to understand the psychology and behavior of serial offenders.

He is expected to participate in an FBI program resembling the criminal-behavior interviews popularized by the term “Mindhunter.”

Such interviews are intended to give investigators and behavioral specialists insight into how convicted serial offenders think, select victims and carry out their crimes.

Heuermann’s participation could potentially provide investigators with information about his own crimes and behavioral patterns.

For now, however, his latest problems are unfolding inside Clinton Correctional Facility.

The disciplinary records offer few details about either incident. They do not specify what kind of drugs Heuermann allegedly possessed, how he obtained them or what correctional officers believed was inside the package involved in the alleged smuggling attempt.

Those unanswered details leave the precise circumstances surrounding his first reported disciplinary trouble at “Little Siberia” unclear.

What is certain is that only months after admitting to eight murders and receiving multiple life sentences, Heuermann is now facing scrutiny for his conduct inside the prison where he is expected to spend the remainder of his life.