San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco police are seeking to determine whether the slaying of a transgender victim found naked near the Interstate 280 freeway is somehow linked to reports of a nude woman seen walking on the same freeway two hours later, authorities said Monday.

Inspector Karen Lynch of the homicide detail said investigators were summoned at 5:40 a.m. Friday to Indiana and Cesar Chavez streets and found the unidentified victim of a homicide on the sidewalk.

Lynch said it appeared the victim had been in the process of becoming a woman.

"We don't have the identity on the person yet, except the medical examiner has determined that this is a homicide,'' she said Monday. "The victim was completely nude, and we are asking for the public's help in finding anyone who has seen anything suspicious or could help us.''

The victim was Latina, about 30 years old, with black, shoulder length curly hair, Lynch said. She had healed cuts that left scars on her arms.

Shortly after 8 a.m., authorities began to hear reports of a woman walking nude on the side of Interstate 280, near Highway 101. "It could have been somebody related to this person, but this person was seen walking on the freeway. It's suspicious because the woman was seen getting into a blue metallic car.''

The second woman is described as a light-skinned white woman, slender, about 5 foot 5, 25 to 30 years old, with long, reddish-blond hair. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the homicide unit at (415) 553-1145.

Tina D'Elia, hate violence survivor program director for Community United Against Violence, said she learned about the events from the police.

She said transgender victims of hate crimes and extremely violent killings, so-called overkill slayings, are frequently left partially clothed or completely nude.

"It's making a statement and humiliating a victim,'' she said. "I want to know if anyone in the community knows who she is, or had seen or spoken to her that day. It's very devastating to hear this.''

Comments (1)

88pdx: Re: Transexual and Transgender I've always wondered if they use the ladies' room or the mens' room. Not that I am that curious to find out, just curious enough to wonder. I went to college with a true hermaphrodite and she was really very bright and raised in a good family... and I never even thought she was anything but a woman! Our joke was: Me: Go f*** yourself! (laughing) She: How can you tell I'm not already doing that anyways?!(more laughter) She didn't date anyone, but she was very scholarly and focused on her academics and hardly anyone but me knew the real "She" and she always used the ladies' room! And she got "straight" A's and went on to get an advanced degree in Nursing to teach at a college level. Her Mom and Dad raised her as a girl, since those were the most obvious parts developing but she can still never have kids. She'll be Auntie Renee' to mine when I have them! 1 March 21, 2007

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