Benjamin Torres, the son of alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer victim Valerie Mack, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Rex Heuermann, his ex-wife, and their daughter.

The lawsuit was filed days before Heuermann is reportedly expected to change his plea to guilty in the high-profile serial killer case that has captivated Long Island for over a decade.

Torres was six years old when his mother, Valerie Mack, disappeared. According to the lawsuit, Mack was allegedly tortured and her body dismembered. Her remains were among those discovered at Gilgo Beach, which became the center of one of New York's most notorious serial killer investigations.

Heuermann has been charged in connection with multiple deaths linked to the Gilgo Beach case. The accused serial killer was arrested in 2023 after investigators used DNA evidence and other forensic techniques to connect him to the crimes.

The wrongful death suit names not only Heuermann but also his former wife and daughter as defendants, though the specific allegations against the family members were not detailed in available reports.

The timing of the lawsuit, filed just before Heuermann's expected plea change, suggests the legal proceedings in the criminal case may be moving toward resolution after years of investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders.