Back at the end of last November I wrote a diary, There's your problem right there, about a missing transgender woman in North Carolina.
Elisha Walker of Rowan County went missing on October 23 and that was reported to police on November 11. On November 23 Walker's silver 2000 Pontiac Sunfire was found in Sampson County. It had been intentionally set afire.
Earlier this month Angel Arias, a member of the Latin Kings gang was detained in Johnston County Jail on drug charges unrelated to Walker's disappearance when apparently something he said led authorities to suspect he was involved in the Walker case. A house in Johnston County was identified as a possible location of Walker's body.
Investigators from multiple agencies searched the Johnston County house on Thursday. The search began at 7:30 p.m., according to a news release. During the search, investigators found a small depression in woods behind the house.
The depression was excavated and human remains were found which were later identified as Walker.
Arias is being held without bail, awaiting transport to Rowan County on charges of murder and felony larceny of a motor vehicle.
Tis murder will not of course add to the 2015 record number of murders of transgender women of color.
The murder in Detroit of Amber Monroe sparked a community conversation that highlighted another crime against a transgender person of color.
The body of Ashton O’Hara, 25, was found brutally murdered in a field in Detroit on July 14, 2015. Ashton did identify as transgender, and was genderfluid; he was still using male pronouns at the time of his untimely death. Ashton’s murder is the 14th reported murder of a transgender person this year, and the 12th murder of a transgender person of color.
Police have a suspect in custody. The trial of Larry B. Gaulding for first degree murder is scheduled to begin in September.
Ashton knew exactly who he was even as young as 2 years old. He once said to his mom, “Mama, you are so pretty, I want to be just like you when I grow up.” By all accounts, Ashton was full of love for his family and friends, and lived life on his terms. He loved kids, he loved to dance, perform at the clubs, and he loved doing hair (he taught himself how to braid extensions at the age of 4!). He was so good that he could “turn a frog into a princess,” according to his mother. Sadly, even though Ashton had so much love in his life, he often felt alone, and that no one really loved him. “Maybe the kind of love he was searching for was to love himself,” Rebecca said.
--statement given by Rebecca O'Hara, Ashton's mother to Equality Michigan
I know Ashton is with God, but every day is a challenge. I hope speaking about this might help save somebody – even just one person saved will be worth it. A lot of people find it hard to be themselves in this world, but Ashton was always uniquely him. It’s time for everyone to be respected.
--Rebecca O'Hara
With Ashton, there have been five — FIVE — trans people murdered in the last month alone. There is an unchecked weapon of mass destruction moving throughout America that is aimed straight at the heart of trans women and dmab (designated male at birth) trans people of color. This avalanche of murders of Black and Latina trans women don’t seem to cause mainstream society to even bat an eye. We’ve already seen two more murders this year than all of last year and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. My heart is broken, my head is weary and I’m shaking as I’m writing this.
I’m scared — no, I’m terrified for my friends and for my sisters and for my elders. I usually pass as white and I don’t have to worry about many of the other factors that often put trans women in danger of being murdered so I’m not going to sit here and pretend that all of these murders make me a more likely target. As a Latina trans woman, I might be more at risk than others, but I’m not about to co-opt the violence that Black and darker-skinned Latina trans women and dmab trans people face. That’s not what this is about. This is about all of the amazing trans women of color who have helped me, been there for me, have shown me love and have fought to give me the rights and the opportunities that I have today.
I’m terrified for all my trans sisters who are so hated by the men they encounter that they hear a catcall turn into the sound of a fist or a brick or a gun. I’m terrified for all of my trans sisters who are so hated by the men who claim to love them that they end up dead by their hands. I’m terrified for all of my trans sisters who are already not seen as human because they are Black, and have their trans womanhood used as just one more excuse for why they shouldn’t be allowed to live. I’m terrified for all my trans sisters who are afraid to go outside because they know that it’s actually not that unlikely that they’ll be next.
--Mey, AutoStraddle