Black Trans Woman Murdered in North Carolina Is Ninth This Year

Another Black transgender woman has been murdered, her body found in a field in Lumberton, N.C., shortly after midnight Wednesday.

The victim, identified by friends and activists as Chanel Scurlock, 23, had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Reports by local media misgendered and deadnamed her, and her mother said Scurlock was a gay man. But trans activist Monica Roberts and friends posting on Facebook identified her as a trans woman. Scurlock lived in Lumber Bridge, about 20 miles from Lumberton, in the southern part of the state. She is the ninth trans American known to have been murdered this year; all of them are Black women.

A photo showing Scurlock in feminine clothing was taken down recently from an unknown person's Facebook page recently, and she was going to meet Tuesday night with the person who deleted it, Raleigh TV station WRAL reports. Friends feared she was going into a dangerous situation, according to the station.

Robeson County sheriff's deputies found Scurlock's body when responding to a report of gunfire. Her car was missing but was recovered later in the day.

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins told local paper The Robesonian that his detectives have "great leads" in the case. They are "working diligently to bring closure to a grieving family," he said.

Anyone with pertinent information is asked to call the Robeson County Sheriff's Office Homicide Division at (910) 671-3170. Callers have the option of remaining anonymous.

(RELATED: These Are the Trans People Killed in 2019)