No Arrests Yet In Murder Of Trans Woman Of Color Whose Body Was Dumped On Sidewalk

Police are investigating the murder of a trans woman who was mysteriously gunned down in Detroit earlier this week.

Authorities were dispatched to a home on Fenkell Avenue near the intersection of Lesure Street around 10:30 p.m. on July 25, after the homeowner reported a dead body, Detroit Police Department said in a press release sent to Oxygen.com. 

The victim, who had been shot several times, was found wrapped in a blanket in front of a vacant storefront by the nearby homeowner, according to WDIV. Officials pronounced her dead on the scene, WJBK reported.

Her name hasn’t been released, pending an autopsy.

Neighbors, however, said the woman is known in the area and was seen frequently near the intersection where her body was found, per WDIV. According to witnesses, the woman was picked up by the driver of a vehicle shortly before the suspected shooting. They later reported seeing her jump and run from the vehicle as she was being shot at.

A potential motive in the shooting hasn’t been released, and authorities haven’t yet specified whether they suspect the killing was a hate crime.

"A life was lost,” Dani Woods, the LGBTQ+ Liaison for the Detroit Police Department said in a statement. “You know, another member of our community is gone and specifically, another trans woman of color has lost their life. So, it’s devastating to the community that this occurred. We are really just pouring our hearts out to ask the community if you have any information if you know anything please come forward."

No further information was released by authorities regarding the ongoing investigation. A spokesperson for the Detroit Police Department didn’t immediately respond to Oxygen.com’s questions surrounding the case on Thursday.

At least 21 transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people have been killed so far in 2022, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which tracks trans killings nationwide. Last year, at least 50 trans-related murders were recorded, making 2021 the deadliest year on record for trans killings since the organization began compiling its annual report in 2013.

“Transgender people, just like anyone else, deserve to live their lives fully without discrimination or violence,” Jared Todd, the press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation told Oxygen.com on Thursday. “Violent tragedies happen all too often to Black and brown transgender women in communities across the country."

"The violence that transgender people face is one of the horrific results of continued stigma and systemic discrimination," Todd added. "We all share a responsibility to end that stigma and to end the violence.”

Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Detroit Police Department at 313-596-2260 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up.