The person who buried the bodies of sex workers on Gilgo Beach in Long Island did not stop killing during the 12 years the case was mishandled ... this according to numerous experts.
TMZ's latest documentary --- "TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs" -- puts the spotlight on a former police chief who went to great lengths to derail the investigation, in no small part because he himself was hiring prostitutes and didn't want a spotlight put on him.
Numerous law enforcement people, criminologists, and psychologists appear in the doc, and they say during the 12 years the case lay dormant, despite clues that would have led them to Rex Heuermann's doorstep, more women were probably murdered.
These people say serial killers don't stop killing ... maybe some do for a while, but they ultimately give in to their impulses.
Authorities are now looking at Las Vegas and South Carolina, where Heuermann owned properties, to determine if there are other victims. Some authorities believe there are other burial grounds out there.
In fact, cops arrested Heuermann earlier than they planned because he was allegedly getting close with another sex worker.
He's currently charged with murdering 3 women whose bodies were found on Gilgo Beach, and he's the prime suspect in a 4th. Police found 11 bodies on Gilgo Beach, at least 8 of which were sex workers.
"TMZ Investigates: Gilgo Beach Serial Murders: Missed Warning Signs" airs Sunday on FOX at 9 PM ET, 8 Central.