In the quiet suburban neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, Amanda F., still haunted by a chilling past, carries the memories of her older sister, Melissa Barthelemy, victim to a notorious Long Island serial killer – Rex Heuermann. The terror of losing Melissa was amplified by the incessant phone calls from her murderer, a bone-chilling reality that’s forced her to navigate the landscape of loss, grief, and fear simultaneously.

Melissa, a young woman full of spirit and dreams, disappeared without a trace in 2009, only for her lifeless body to be discovered more than a year later on the distant Gilgo Beach of Long Island. The year of her absence was marked by a tormenting sequence of events for her then 15-year-old sister, Amanda.

Evil Phone Calls From Rex Heuermann?

Amanda recalls the first phone call she received shortly after Melissa’s disappearance. The voice on the other end was detached, monotone, with a distinct Long Island accent – it was her sister’s killer, calling from Melissa’s own cellphone. The voice disclosed in cold detail the horrifying end he had subjected Melissa to.

“He killed her; he raped her. Maybe one day he’d tell me where she was,” Amanda recollects, her voice trembled as she shared her harrowing experience with PIX11. The murderer made seven calls to Amanda and her family in total, each conversation more haunting than the last. His words echoed in Amanda’s head, instilling a fear that left a lasting impact on her adolescence and beyond.

Not only did the man confess to the horrendous acts he committed against her sister, but he also revealed that he knew intimate details about Amanda and her family. “He knew my name. He knew what I looked like,” she said, a chilling revelation that amplified her torment. He wasn’t just a murderer; he was a calculated tormentor who derived some perverse satisfaction from instilling fear in his victims and their families.

The torment didn’t stop at the calls. Amanda revealed that the killer would regularly insult her sister, mocking her profession as a sex worker and reducing her to nothing more than an object. The impact on Amanda was profound, leaving her with invisible wounds that have taken years to heal.

The Final Call

The final call came on August 26, 2009, and with it came a cruel sense of finality. “He killed Melissa after having sex with her,” Amanda recalls. The killer, at this point, had become a terrifying specter that loomed over her life. The feeling of being watched, of being known by this man, cast a heavy shadow on her day-to-day existence.

Fast-forward to 2023, and Amanda is now part of an unfolding narrative of justice. The arrest of Rex Heuermann on July 14 brings a glimmer of hope, an opportunity for closure, yet the journey towards healing is far from over.

Despite the suspect being behind bars, the prospect of a trial looms large, promising a raw and brutal retelling of the gruesome crimes committed by Heuermann. The terror and trauma are set to resurface, a necessary evil for justice to be served.

As Amanda braces herself for the impending court case, her courage stands out. She carries the legacy of her sister’s memory, demonstrating an unyielding resilience in the face of profound grief and terror. Her strength is a testament to all those who’ve experienced similar pain and stand as living memorials for their loved ones, their stories echoing in the quest for justice.