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The physique of a black transgender girl, stated by the authorities to have been burned past recognition, was discovered inside an deserted automotive in Florida.
The sufferer, Bee Love Slater, 23, was the 18th transgender individual identified to have been killed in the United States this yr, in line with Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights group that tracks anti-transgender violence.
The authorities had to make use of dental data to establish her after she was discovered on Sept. four simply exterior of Clewiston, Fla., a metropolis on the southwest facet of Lake Okeechobee, Steve Whidden, the Hendry County sheriff, stated Saturday night time in an interview.
Sheriff Whidden stated investigators had been treating the case as a murder, however had not uncovered any proof to recommend that the killing was a hate crime.
“We don’t have anything that would show that it’s a hate crime right now,” he stated. “We possibly have a motive, but I can’t say what that is at this time.”
The authorities are analyzing a collection of social media posts directed at Ms. Slater earlier than her loss of life, in line with Sheriff Whidden, who stated that whereas they weren’t direct threats, they wished hurt on Ms. Slater.
“There were some Facebook posts made — that this person needs to die,” stated Sheriff Whidden, who wouldn’t elaborate on whether or not posts had been made by a person or a couple of individual due to the continued investigation.
“There are more questions than we have answers,” stated Jackson Jackson, a good friend of Ms. Slater’s.
Advocates for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual and transgender crime victims stated Ms. Slater’s loss of life was a part of what they described as an alarming spate of violence in opposition to transgender folks.
The Human Rights Campaign stated she was the 18th transgender individual to have died by violent means thus far this yr. In 2018, advocates tracked a minimum of 26 such deaths, the vast majority of whom had been black transgender ladies.
“These victims are not numbers — they were people with hopes and dreams, loved ones and communities who will miss them every day,” the group stated on Twitter after Ms. Slater’s loss of life.
Another good friend, Shaq Bailey, stated he was heartbroken on the information of Ms. Slater’s loss of life. “She did nothing but smile and have a positive vibe,” he stated. “Nobody who knew her would say bad things about her.”
Janet Taylor, a former longtime Hendry County commissioner, stated on Saturday that the loss of life jolted the tight-knit metropolis of Clewiston, which is about 65 miles west of West Palm Beach.
“That’s the feel of the community, that this is really a hate crime,” Ms. Taylor stated. “Sexual preferences — we can’t be judgmental about that. Our community just wants justice done for her family.”
Ms. Taylor, who’s the founding father of Glades Lives Matter, a neighborhood motion group, stated Ms. Slater was not from the instant space and was believed to be from Pahokee, Fla., which is about 30 miles from Clewiston.
“She didn’t deserve what she got,” Ms. Taylor stated.
The American Medical Association known as violence in opposition to transgender folks an “epidemic” and voted at a convention in June to undertake new insurance policies to assist stop this violence.
“According to available tracking, fatal anti-transgender violence in the U.S. is on the rise and most victims were black transgender women,” Bobby Mukkamala, an affiliation board member, stated in a press release.
The new insurance policies embrace educating folks on the disproportionate variety of deadly assaults on black transgender ladies and supporting a standardized database of hate crimes.
“The number of victims could be even higher due to underreporting, and better data collection by law enforcement is needed to create strategies that will prevent anti-transgender violence,” Dr. Mukkamala stated.
Another good friend of Ms. Slater’s, Dezmond Bass, stated: “She lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone, and it made it easier for her to be targeted. You should be able to be who you want to be without being discriminated against, and we are doing all that we can to make sure she gets justice.”
