Authorities dismiss possibility transgender teen’s murder is a hate crime

Authorities in central Missouri continue their investigation into the horrific murder of Ally Lee Steinfeld. Steinfeld is at least the 21st transgender person murdered this year. She was just short of her 18th birthday when she was killed.

“As questions swirl about why the quiet 17-year-old was killed in such a ghastly manner, authorities aren't saying what led to the killing,” the Associated Press reports. “But they dismiss the possibility the death was a hate crime.”

Authorities have identified the remains found last week as those of Steinfeld. The grisly remains, some of which were found in a garbage bag in a chicken coop, were found near the mobile home of a 24-year old woman with whom Steinfeld had been living. Steinfeld's body was burned after she was murdered.

See more about Steinfeld’s brutal murder at 21st transgender murder victim.

The woman and two 18-year olds, one male, one female, who also lived in the mobile home, are charged with first-degree murder and other counts. A fourth suspect, a male in his early 20s, is charged with abandonment of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

“Both Sheriff James Sigman and prosecutor Parke Stevens Jr. insist the crime was not motivated by Steinfeld's gender identity.

"’I would say murder in the first-degree is all that matters,’ Stevens said. ‘That is a hate crime in itself’," the AP report says.

“Yet the killing has drawn the attention of transgender advocates and others across the U.S. who believe Steinfeld was targeted for her gender identity, despite what the Texas County sheriff and prosecutor say.

"’This violence, often motivated by hatred, must come to an end,’ said Chris Sgro, spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, who said Steinfeld was the 21st transgender person killed this year in the U.S. ‘We will continue to mourn Ally and fight back against transphobia and anti-trans violence’,” the AP continues.

Media reports say that Steinfeld had been missing for weeks. Initial news reports of her disappearance and the family’s missing-person posters both referred to her by her birth name, as did police documents.

Misgendering a transgender person and using their birth name, is a common problem. Media, family and police often attempt to cover up a transgender person’s gender identity, which complicates collecting statistics. There were 27 known murders of transgender persons in 2017, a record.

Authorities say they have no motive yet.

Copyright The Gayly – September 27, 2017 @ 12:15 p.m. CDT.