LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: The mother of Andre Isaac, a professional drag queen who went by stage name Sugar Bear and who was brutally murdered and dismembered in 2002, believes that her son may have been targeted by the Gilgo Beach murderer, also known as the Long Island serial killer (LISK). Suffolk County prosecutors recently arrested and charged Rex Heuermann with the murders of three prostitutes whose remains were discovered wrapped in burlap near Gilgo Beach murders between 2009 and 2010.
DNA evidence, obtained from a discarded pizza crust found in a Manhattan garbage can where Heuermann worked as an architect, partly linked him to the crimes. This evidence, combined with a witness report linking Heuermann to a pickup truck seen during one of the victims' disappearances in 2010, led to his arrest.
Who was Andre 'Sugar Bear' Issac?
In her first TV interview, Kim Jordan, Andre's mother, shared that her son was affectionately called 'Sugar Bear' by his friends. describing him as a gentle giant among his petite acquaintances. Standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Andre went missing at the age of 25 in November 2002. “They were all petite little guys and Andre was like the big giant, the gentle giant."
Kim expressed her unwavering love for her son, stating that she had known he was gay from a young age. “I knew my son was gay; I knew since he was very young,” the mother said. “I loved him from the time I conceived him.” She raised four of her own children as well as four nieces and nephews who shared a close bond with Andre. The details surrounding her son's death haunted Kim, causing her to experience nightmares.
The discovery of Andre's torso, dressed in a body suit and skirt, in Far Rockaway, Queens in December 2002 provided a grim clue about his fate. According to friends, Isaac had disappeared from his apartment in East New York, Brooklyn, the previous November. Kim recounted the last sighting of her son as he got into a red sports car before vanishing.
'I used to dream, have nightmares, about his head on a platter!'
Months later, a skull was found embedded in the ice of a pond in Moriches, Long Island, identified as Andre's remains. This location was approximately 60 miles away from Far Rockaway. “I used to dream, have nightmares, about his head on a platter,” Kim recalled. His skull exhibited a bullet hole in one of the temples. The involvement of the FBI in the investigation brought some relief to Kim.
Andre's violent death has been examined in relation to the unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, believed to be the work of a serial killer. However, Suffolk County police remain uncertain about Isaac's inclusion among the ten official victims. Other dismembered victims, some found inside suitcases, have also been considered in connection with the LISK case. It is believed that the serial killer may have targeted another man dressed in female attire, whose remains were discovered on Ocean Parkway and still remain unidentified.
This particular victim was estimated to be between 17 and 23 years old, and was found in close proximity to the original "Gilgo Four" - four women whose bodies were discovered intact, some wrapped in burlap. Valerie Mack, another dismembered victim linked to the Gilgo case, was only recently identified in May 2020, two decades after her torso was found in Manorville.
In January of this year, the Suffolk County Police Department launched a website named Gilgonews.com, revealing that a piece of evidence connected to the killer was discovered at one of the crime scenes - a belt with the initials HM or WH embossed on it. Recent information indicates that investigators working on the Gilgo case sought assistance from the NYPD's "Cold Case" Squad to explore any potential connections between Andre's murder and suspected serial killer Kwauhuru Govan, who was charged in February 2017 with the dismemberment murder of Brooklyn teen Rashawn Brazell. However, Suffolk police later ruled out a link between the cases.
Andre's mother is grateful that her son's unsolved case is finally receiving attention. Kim believes that increased publicity surrounding the story may yield some significant developments. She hopes that justice will prevail for her beloved son, emphasizing that all lives matter regardless of sexual orientation, religion, or any other factor. “A lot of families, they turn their backs on their children when they find out they’re gay,” Kim noted. “All lives matter: no matter what the sexuality, religion, anything.”