Yet another Black transgender woman has been murdered — this time in Houston — but it took more than two weeks and an entire community of activists to identify her.
Tracy Single, 22, was found dead on the ground July 30 with puncture wounds and severe lacerations at a gas station at 11009 Katy Freeway Service Road on West Interstate Highway 10 in Houston. An autopsy confirmed that Single’s cause of death was a homicide, but there are no known suspects or motives at this time, according to a Houston police spokesperson.
The Houston Police Department finally identified Single on August 15, but that was only made possible thanks to the work of an activist who was dedicated to finding justice for the late 22-year-old.
Dee Dee Watters, who was a grand marshal at Houston Pride in June, organized a town hall-style event and vigil in Houston on August 11 with hopes of determining more information about Single. She invited activists and other local community members to the event and provided a physical description of Single as she remained unidentified.
Now, with Single’s identity confirmed, Watters has been raising money and coordinating funeral arrangements with her family. According to Watters’ Facebook post on August 19, Single’s family “has agreed to honor Tracy’s wishes to be remembered as Tracy” and the funeral home has referred to her with proper pronouns.
Single appeared to be just settling into her new home. According to her Facebook page, she was from New Orleans and moved to Houston June 17.
Single became the latest Black trans woman to be murdered during what has been an especially deadly year for transgender women of color. More than a dozen trans women — mostly Black women — have suffered violent deaths this year alone, and many have been found dead on roads or in vehicles.
Single is not the first Black trans woman to be murdered in Texas this year. Chynal Lindsey, 26, was found dead in a Dallas lake in June in a case that police there described as “homicidal violence,” and 23-year-old Muhlaysia Booker was shot to death in Dallas on May 18.
Further details about funeral services are pending, according to Watters.
