The family of slain transgender woman Kyra Cordova met with the head of the Philadelphia Police Department last week to discuss the progress of the case.
Cordova’s mother, other family members and a number of community figures involved with the Justice For Kyra initiative sat down with Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and other officials Oct. 10 at police headquarters.
Cordova, 27, was gunned down Sept. 3 in a wooded area off Adams Avenue in Frankford. A suspect has yet to be identified, and there is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the murderer’s arrest and conviction.
In addition to Ramsey, the meeting included the head of the Homicide Department, Capt. James Clark, and LGBT Liaison Deputy Commissioner Stephen Johnson, and afterwards the family met with the detective working on the case.
Police provided some new updates on the investigation, but Cordova’s mother Dawn Maher said the meeting also provided an opportunity for the family to voice their concerns.
“I felt the meeting went very well,” she said. “They were kind and patient, listening to all questions asked and providing answers. All my questions and concerns were answered and addressed in a positive fashion.”
The group discussed the broader topic of how police should appropriately identify transgender victims, an issue that arose early in Cordova’s case.
Johnson said that aspect of the meeting was particularly productive.
“We answered a lot of their questions and talked a lot about issues regarding proper descriptions of transgender people if and when — and hopefully we won’t have to go through this again — but if something happens in the future, we talked about how it’s best to describe transgender people,” he said.
Cordova, a native of Hatfield, had been living in Philadelphia for about five years. She was a former HIV tester at the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative and was involved with relaunching a transgender youth initiative at The Attic Youth Center.
She most recently had been employed at The Home Depot.
Her mother said Cordova had had “problems in the past” but that “it seemed as if her life was taking a turn for the better.”
Cordova was last seen alive early morning on Labor Day, when she was captured on surveillance video at a Wawa on Castor Avenue as she purchased two sandwiches and two drinks. She was alone at the time.
The Wawa is about a half-mile from the area where Cordova’s body was found a few hours later.
“Whether it was personal or a random act, I don’t know, [but] I find it hard to believe that anybody who truly knew her could have done this to her because she truly was a kind and caring human being, loved by many,” Maher said.
Police did not identify the victim for a number of days.
Maher said she was out shopping with her mother when she got the call.
“I was on my way home when my partner called and said the police were at my house for [Kyra.] I couldn’t figure out why but when I called him back to see if they were still there, he told me they were going to wait for me,” Maher said. “At that point, I knew something was really wrong and when I arrived home to two police cars and saw the looks on their faces, I knew and I felt it in my heart.”
In the past month, Maher said, she has been overwhelmed by support from the LGBT community.
Days after Cordova was identified, several-hundred mourners gathered for a vigil at William Way LGBT Community Center. An anonymous community member donated $5,000 to start a reward, which was supplemented by $20,000 in city funds.
“My family and I have met so many wonderful people over the last month; their kindness and caring is more than we ever could have imagined,” Maher said. “I’m so thankful that my daughter was such a large part of the community and that she has left the community with wonderful thoughts and memories of her. As a mother, this makes me very proud.”
Maher said she has met countless transgender people in the past few weeks who’ve told her stories of being disowned by their families or of not being able to be out to them.
While her family is focused on finding Cordova’s killer, Maher said she hopes in the long run work to foster acceptance of the transgender community.
“Kyra was very lucky, as her family supported her, even though it wasn’t easy at times, and she had many friends that remained with her during her transition,” Maher said. “People need to understand that this is not a choice. I know for Kyra it was who she had to become, not only mentally but physically. She didn’t become a different person on the inside; she just became who she was truly meant to become on the outside.”
As for the case, Maher said that finding the perpetrator would provide “a sense of relief for us and her many friends. To know that she has received justice and, even more, to know that this person is not on the street, able to hurt or kill someone else’s loved one, would provide a great amount of happiness to us all.”
Maher urged residents who live in the area where the murder took place, or those who may have information about the case, to “grow a backbone” and come forward.
“Regardless of what they thought of my daughter, they still have a killer living in their neighborhood, maybe even on their block,” she said. “I guess it’s that much safer for them not to tell what they know and keep this person safe in their neighborhood, because they’re sure ‘they’ would never do it again or to someone they know and love. Wake up. If this ‘person’ has killed once, they will kill again in your neighborhood because they can, because you let them.”
Anonymous tips about the case can be made by calling 215-546-TIPS (5477).
