Who Was Kawsheen Gelzer? The Shocking Truth Behind the NYC Freezer Body Case

On Monday, January 22, 2024, the New York Police Department (NYPD) made a shocking discovery in a Brooklyn apartment: a severed head and multiple body parts stored in a freezer. The remains were identified as those of 40-year-old Kawsheen Gelzer, also known as Dave Draper, a drug dealer who had been missing since September 2023.

The police were tipped off by an anonymous caller who claimed that there was a body inside the apartment. When they arrived, they encountered Heather Stines, a 45-year-old woman who lived in the fourth-floor unit. Stines was reluctant to let the officers inspect a refrigerator that was sealed with tape. She was arrested and taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Inside the fridge and freezer, the police found black plastic bags containing Gelzer’s dismembered body. The medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death, but the process may take longer due to the need to wait for the body parts to thaw out.

A drug-related dispute

Stines, who is facing charges related to concealing a corpse, told the police that her husband, Nicholas McGee, was responsible for killing and chopping up Kawsheen Gelzer. She said that McGee, a 45-year-old man who is currently in jail in Virginia on unrelated charges, had a fight with Gelzer over drugs in September and decided to dispose of his body in the freezer.

“She has said that, and we believe it to be true,” a police source said, indicating that the investigation is focusing on the possibility of a drug-related homicide. However, the police are also looking into Stines’ role in the crime and whether she helped her husband or tried to cover up the evidence.

“She’s saying it was her husband, but he’s in jail and she’s there with a dead body,” a Daily Mail report quoted another source.

Kawsheen Gelzer’s Troubled Past

Gelzer, who was originally from Brooklyn, had a troubled past that involved drug dealing and child molestation. He was a registered sex offender who had been convicted of first-degree sexual abuse in 2005 for molesting a 12-year-old boy. He served two years in prison and was released in 2012. He also had at least five other arrests on his record, including assault, robbery, and drug possession.

Kawsheen Gelzer was identified by his distinctive gang tattoos that matched his arrest records. He was known as a drug dealer in the neighborhood and had many enemies. Some of his acquaintances said that he had been involved in a feud with another dealer before he disappeared.

Stines, who was originally from Kentucky, also had a history of drug abuse and petty crimes. She had moved to New York six years ago with her husband, hoping to escape her problems. However, she relapsed after one of her daughters died of a drug overdose. She and her husband were known as drug addicts who owed money to other dealers. Their apartment was often targeted by burglars and vandals.

McGee, who is Stines’ husband, was arrested in Virginia in September 2023 on charges of identity fraud. He is awaiting trial and has not been charged in connection with Gelzer’s death. His sister-in-law, Catherine McGee, said that he would be devastated to learn about the investigation and his wife’s possible involvement.

“He’s going to be devastated because he’s coming out of jail and she’s possibly going into jail, for a possible murder,” she said.

A shocking case

The case of Kawsheen Gelzer’s death and dismemberment has shocked the public and the media. It has been described as one of the most gruesome and bizarre crimes in recent memory. It has also raised questions about the drug problem and the violence in the city.

The neighbors and friends of Gelzer have expressed their grief and anger over his fate. They have set up a makeshift memorial in the lobby of the building, with candles and photos. They have also demanded justice for him and his family.

“He didn’t deserve to die like that. Nobody deserves to die like that,” Dorothy Williams, a tenant in the building, said. “You can see the ladies in the building, we’re putting up pictures of him and writing stuff like, you know, ‘rest in peace’ and stuff like that.”

The police are continuing their investigation and are awaiting the results of the autopsy and the DNA tests. They are also trying to find out the motive and the connection between Gelzer, Stines, and McGee. They are asking anyone with information to contact them.