Sophie, a trans woman known within Baltimore’s community, was found dead early Thursday in Baltimore’s Charles Village, leaving friends, community members, and advocates mourning while homicide detectives search for answers. Police said officers responded around 1:16 a.m. near North Calvert Street and East 24th Street, where Sophie was pronounced dead at the scene.
Baltimore Safe Haven said Sophie was not a stranger to the community. The organization identified her as a friend and former client, and staff described her death as deeply affecting people who knew her personally. Safe Haven has also launched a GoFundMe to help cover her funeral expenses. The organization is planning a candlelight vigil near the area where she was found.
🎥 WBAL-TV 11 reports from Baltimore Safe Haven as the organization mourns the trans woman killed in Charles Village.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation. Sources told WBAL that she had been shot in a nearby alley before being found in the intersection, and that her purse was located about two blocks away. Police have not publicly confirmed those details, and the exact sequence of events leading to her death remains unresolved.
Homicide detectives were seen canvassing the neighborhood and asking residents for home-security footage and information. No arrest has been announced, no suspect has been publicly identified, and police have not established a motive.
Police had initially declined to release Sophie’s name, saying they had not yet positively identified the victim. Baltimore Safe Haven has since publicly identified her as Sophie and launched a GoFundMe to help cover her funeral expenses.
The lack of answers has intensified concern within Baltimore’s trans community. People connected to Safe Haven have publicly raised the possibility that anti-trans violence could have played a role, while also acknowledging that investigators have not established that as a motive.
For Trans United, the uncertainty does not make Sophie’s death abstract. Sophie was known and loved within her community, and no one has been identified in connection with her death. The investigation now has to establish what happened to her, who caused her death, and whether the violence she suffered was connected in any way to her being trans.
Sophie’s friends and community are preparing to gather in mourning. They are carrying the loss of someone they knew while waiting for answers about what happened to her, who killed her, and why.
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So heartbreaking 💔
Horrifying, Charles Village is supposed to be safe for LGBTQ people