FORT MYERS, Fla. — More than 200 people attended a vigil Sunday to honor a transgender woman whose body was found dumped behind a garbage bin in Fort Myers, Fla., last week.
The bloody and charred body of 31-year-old Yaz’min Shancez was discovered on a dead-end road behind a truck rental facility shortly after 8 a.m. on Thursday, June 19.
Workers reported that Shancez’ body was “still smoldering” when she was discovered.
Family and friend describe Shancez — nicknamed “Miss T” — as a proud transgender woman who loved being surrounded by endless relatives at family barbecues, and who never forgot to say I love you.
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No arrests have been made in what authorities are calling a homicide, but have not classified as a hate crime.
In 2013, 13 of the 18 documented anti-LGBTQ homicides were transgender women and 89 percent of the victims were people of color, GLAAD reports.
In California, police are investigating the death of another transgender woman whose body was found June 12 behind a Dairy Queen restaurant in Anaheim, Calif.
