New York fashion designer Katie Gallagher’s July 2022 death has been ruled a homicide, with authorities saying it could be linked to a string of “drug-facilitated theft” crimes in the Democrat-controlled city.
Gallagher’s death was initially ruled a drug overdose, but on Friday, the New York Police Department ruled her death a homicide after the medical examiner concluded that she died from acute intoxication caused by a combination of fentanyl, ethanol, and the opioid designer drug p-Fluorofentanyl, reports NBC New York.
In July, the 35-year-old rising fashion designer was found dead in her Lower East Side apartment in Manhattan after a neighbor saw that her keys were hanging in the door and went in to check on her.
Police sources told the outlet that Gallagher’s death is similar to 26 other deaths in New York City over the past year, which they have attributed to “drug-facilitated theft.”
For example, two men — one a social worker, and the other a political consultant visiting from Washington, D.C. — mysteriously died in separate incidents after leaving Hell’s Kitchen bars last year, NBC New York noted. Additionally, both of their bank accounts were drained.
In December, a Manhattan grand jury indicted 33-year-old Kenwood Allen, who was charged with the deaths of the two men.
Prosecutors said Allen was a member of a violent robbery crew that targeted people in bars and nightclubs in Manhattan, according to a report by the Guardian.
“They target their victims leaving bars, offering drugs in some cases, then either through force or when the victim passes out, they remove jewelry, money, high-end watches and phones from their victims,” NYPD chief of detectives, James Essig, said.
Police are currently investigating whether Gallagher’s death is connected to Allen.
“There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing,” police said.
Gallagher, whose designs have been worn by pop star Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian, showed no obvious signs of trauma, police added.
The fashion designer’s family said in a statement to NBC New York that “the homicide determination shared by the medical examiner today affirms what we knew: Katie was the victim of a crime.”
“We have been holding this information while awaiting the official ruling. Sharing this news helps us set the record straight, demand accountability, and grieve more openly,” Gallagher’s family added.
The family went on to say that they are “grateful for any developments that help us move forward, focus on Katie’s life and legacy, and bring more awareness to fentanyl and similar drugs being used as weapons against innocent people.”
Gallagher’s collections were featured in magazines like Vogue, Glamour, and W. The rising fashion designer had also completed 26 collections under her label showed at New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. She was working on her 27th collection at the time of her death.
As Breitbart News reported in November, crime in Democrat-controlled New York City increased over the last year. Rape was up 10.9 percent, robbery up 32.4 percent, burglary up 29.1 percent, and grand larceny up 38.5 percent.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.