Melissa Barthelemy, 24, went missing in 2009 before her little sister received chilling phone calls just days later from a man who taunted the devastated family

A teenage girl was subjected to chilling calls from her missing sister’s phone before a gruesome discovery was made.

At the age of 15, Amanda experienced the disappearance of her elder sister, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, who went missing without leaving any clues behind. Originally from near Buffalo, Melissa had relocated to New York City to work as a hairdresser after completing beauty school.

Unknown to her family, Melissa had started working as an escort, and in July 2009, she ceased all communication with her relatives.

Her mother, Lynn Barthelemy, later expressed her fears: “Did she get hurt? We pull out the phone book, we get on the internet. We start calling hospitals.”

She also mentioned that she reached out to the NYPD to file a missing person’s report but felt that her concerns were not taken seriously.

However, a week on, Amanda began receiving unsettling calls from Melissa’s phone. Their mother said: “When Amanda answered the phone, you know, she was so excited. ‘Oh my God, Melissa’s finally calling me.’ And then, there’s a guy on the other end.”

Amanda initially felt “relieved” to see her sister’s name flash on her screen, but the situation quickly turned sinister.

Lynn detailed: “He was softly spoken and had a very controlled and comfortable manner of speech, which made his horrific messages all the more devastating… he began to toy with her… And for the first time, she heard the voice of the killer.”

In one instance, the caller pretended to be from the NYPD, while in other calls he “said some pretty horrible things to Amanda”.

The mother revealed disturbing incidents where the caller used “sexually explicit” language detailing his intentions towards Melissa while taunting her sister.

After receiving the third menacing call, authorities initiated a phone tap to pinpoint locations mentioned by the harasser, such as Manhattan, the Empire State Building, and Times Square.

In a particularly harrowing conversation, he coldly stated to Amanda: “I’m watching your sister rot.”

Grim Discovery

More than a year on, in December 2010, the search took a macabre turn when Melissa’s remains, along with those of three other women, were found. Their bodies were bound and concealed in burlap sacks, located off the highway near Gilgo Beach on Long Island.

This gut-wrenching discovery occurred just two days after another body was found in similar circumstances in the same vicinity.

The victims were later identified as Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. All in their 20s and working as escorts, their deaths raised the chilling possibility of a serial killer at large.

Suffolk County police have since informed the programme 48 Hours that they suspect the individual who made the calls to Melissa’s sister was indeed her murderer.

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer

Netflix has recently released a gripping true crime documentary covering the case, captivating viewers who say they “couldn’t look away” from the series.

The documentary delves into 11 murders that occurred between 1993 and 2011 in New York state, including the tragic fates of the aforementioned women.

The heart-wrenching episodes include interviews with family members and law enforcement officials discussing the overlooked missing sex workers until Melissa and other women were discovered at Gilgo Beach in 2010.

Despite the bodies being uncovered 15 years ago, a significant breakthrough didn’t occur until two years ago when police named their main suspect as New York architect Rex Heuermann.

A DNA breakthrough linked him to some of the victims, leading to his arrest in July 2023.

Heuermann, a married man with children, is currently facing charges for seven murders, with a trial date yet to be scheduled.

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer is available to stream on Netflix.