Mystery Surrounds Death of Young Trans Activist in Calif.

The body of 28-year-old Zoraida "Ale" Reyes was recently found behind a Dairy Queen in the shadow of Disneyland.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

June 15 2014 5:16 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Police have not yet concluded what killed Zoraida "Ale" Reyes, a transgender woman active in Orange County LGBT and immigrant causes.

An inconclusive autopsy did not reveal how Reyes died and ended up behind a Dairy Queen in Anaheim, but Orange County officials are performing a toxicology report to find out more. Reyes's mother, Macrina Reyes, addressed a crowd of 120 friends and supporters of her daughter on Friday. The group, holding trans-supportive signs, then marched through downtown Santa Ana, Calif.

"My friend had to die in order for us to come together," Zoraida's friend Alexa Vasquez told the crowd. "When I see you guys marching, I wish that I saw my friend walking with you.

Reyes, known as shy and quiet, was a regular fixture at transgender- and immigrant-supportive groups, most recently participating in a May 27 protest against Santa Ana's dealings with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Read more here.