Who was Valerie Mack, the alleged seventh victim of the Gilgo Beach serial killer?

On the morning of November 19, 2000, three hunters came across a black plastic bag wrapped in duct tape in the woods in Manorville, New York.

Some of the remains of a woman were in the bag. Both of her hands were severed from her body and her right leg was cut off in the middle of the calf. Her upper body, legs and arms were tied with rope.

Authorities were unable to identify her.

More than a decade later, on April 4, 2011, Long Island authorities searched for remains along Ocean Parkway and found them as part of an investigation into the murders of online escorts Melissa Barthelemy, Amber Costello, Maureen Brainard-Barnes and Megan Waterman the skull and right foot of the same woman.

She was later identified as 24-year-old Valerie Mack.

On Tuesday, December 17, Mack became the seventh victim linked to suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann when Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney charged the former architect with her murder.

Heuermann was also charged with the murders of Barthelemy, Costello, Brainard-Barnes and Waterman, which were found on Gilgo Beach. He is also accused of the murders of Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor, whose remains were discovered elsewhere on Long Island.

Mack, who used the alias Melissa Taylor, was arrested multiple times for prostitution in the Philadelphia area between 1996 and 2000. She also worked in the Atlantic City area. Authorities believe Mack, who had a son when he was 17, was sent through various foster homes as a child.

Authorities believe she was murdered sometime between September 1, 2000 and November 19, 2000.

Heuermann is said to have viewed pornographic images in the months before Mack’s murder, including breast mutilation and rope bondage, which “largely correspond to the injuries to Ms. Mack’s chest and the manner in which the rope bindings were used on Valerie Mack,” according to Die Charges against him were filed in Suffolk County.

Heuermann’s IP address was allegedly used to access gilgonews.com, a Suffolk County Police website about the murders, “which highlighted the upcoming investigation into ‘Manorville Jane Doe,’ who would be identified five days later as Valerie Mack.” ”

Authorities also noted similarities between the trash bags used in the murders of Mack and Taylor and “noted similarities in the type of cutting instrument” used to dismember both victims.

Taylor was found on July 26, 2003, by a witness walking her dog in a wooded area in Manorville, “lying on her back with her legs bent beneath her.”

A tattoo on her upper body was “severely destroyed by a sharp object” and her arms were dismembered below her elbows. Authorities believe the killer dismembered the victims with a hand-powered saw.

Authorities also believe Heuermann amputated Mack’s right leg mid-calf to prevent her from being positively identified.

Want to stay up to date with the latest crime coverage? Sign in PEOPLEis the free true crime newsletter with breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details on intriguing unsolved cases.

According to the prosecution, a hair belonging to Heuermann’s daughter Victoria was also found in the sealed garbage bag in which Mack’s remains were found. Victoria was probably three or four years old at the time of the murder.