Ervianna 'Baydee' Johnson, Black trans woman, found dead in North Carolina

Ervianna “Baydee” Johnson, a 25-year-old Black transgender woman, was found dead near a pond not far from her home in Tabor City, North Carolina, February 19, and police are investigating her death as a homicide, according to multiple media outlets.

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She left her home about 3 a.m. February 13, and her family reported her missing three days later. She went out “without any belongings, as if meeting someone briefly,” the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said in a missing persons notice, according to local paper The News Reporter. “Johnson's mother was the last person to see or speak to Johnson before leaving. All personal items, including a phone, ID card, and bank cards, were left behind.”

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the sheriff’s office in the case. The cause of Johnson’s death has not been determined, but preliminary autopsy reports indicate homicide, says a press release from the SBI. The investigators are seeking a 21-year-old Black man who they say is a possible “offender/suspect” in Johnson’s death.

Johnson has been widely misgendered by media and police, and even some family members, Blaque/Out Magazinenotes. Transformation NC, a local trans group, is urging media outlets to correct their coverage.

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Johnson “worked as a digital content creator and at LaQuinta Inn & Suites,” Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents reports. “Her social media content suggests she liked to dance, she was creative, brave, and bold.” She was a fan of GloRilla, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and hip-hop majorette contests, and she was close to her family, particularly her nieces and nephews, according to the site.

Anyone with information that may help find Johnson’s killer is asked to call the SBI at (910) 939-6200 or the sheriff’s office at (910) 642-6551.