A Black transgender woman was found murdered in a motel in Oklahoma City on Monday morning.
At around 2:30 a.m., police were called to the motel to investigate a disturbance, at which point they found the body of 31-year-old Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson.
No arrests have yet been made in the case, and a motive has not been released for the murder, meaning it is not yet clear whether this was a hate crime motivated by Stevenson’s transgender identity.
“Right now, there are no arrests in this case. Anyone with information, we want to hear from them through our homicide tip line,” said Oklahoma City Police Spokesman, MSgt. Gary Knight.
In the meantime, the city’s LGBTQ community is mourning Stevenson’s loss as questions about her murder abound.
Paula Sophia Schonauer, a transgender advocate who knew Stevenson for a short time, told KFOR of her loss, “When I found out (Monday) night, it broke my heart. I’ve gotten to know Brooklyn a little bit. I knew how hard she was trying and how much she was working to establish her identity and to establish a place in the world for herself.”
“We don’t know what happened,” Schonauer added. “But the questions in every transgendered person’s mind, out here in Oklahoma City, is what happened and I really hope justice is served.”
There is currently a GoFundMe page for Stevenson’s burial.
