Missing Trans Woman Natasha Kieanna Found Dead in Detroit

A Detroit transgender woman who had been missing since December 26 was found dead Wednesday.

The body of Natasha Kieanna, 37, was found in her white Saturn SUV on the city's west side, the Detroit Free Press reports. There were no signs of trauma, police said, but members of her family suspect foul play.

The fact that she was on the passenger side of the vehicle was suspicious, her mother, Bernetha Shelton, told the paper. She also said her daughter had gotten "mixed up with the wrong crowd."

"She was a beautiful person," Shelton added. "She was loved all over."

The Detroit police had issued a missing persons alert for Kieanna January 6. She was found after a man reported that the SUV had been parked in front of his house for two weeks, according to Detroit TV station WJBK. He had called police at least twice before they came out, he said. Shelton also criticized the police's delay.

Police are investigating Kieanna's death, and they ask that anyone with information call the department's Eighth Precinct Investigative Unit at (313) 596-5840 or Crime Stoppers at (800) SPEAK-UP.

Two homicides of trans Americans have already been reported in 2021, and at least 44 died by violence in 2020, the deadliest year on record for this population. Most of the victims were Black or Latinx women.