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Family begs for answers after transgender woman murdered in Detroit

By and Amber Ainsworth
Published  November 17, 2022 5:33pm EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Reward offered for information about transgender woman's murder in Detroit

Hayden Davis was found shot to death in Detroit over the summer. Her family is hoping someone who knows what happened will come forward and give them some closure.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Hayden Davis was found shot to death on Detroit's west side on July 15.

Four months later, her family is begging for answers.

"I ask the public to speak up because you know who this person is," her mother Tabitha Dudley Nahabedian said. "I'm also angry at the fact that trans women are being murdered in the city of Detroit. This needs to stop."

Hayden Davis

Because Davis, who was 29, was a trans woman of color, there are concerns it may have been a hate crime.

"Somebody in the community knows what has happened," said Julisa Abad, the victim advocate with the Fair Michigan Justice Project, noting that another transgender woman, Dee Dee Ricks, was recently killed, too.

Prosecutor Kam Towns said the man suspected of killing Ricks is facing first-degree murder charges. However, Davis' killer is still out there.

"You can feel the pain in this family. Imagine if this was your daughter, your son, your brother, your husband, your sister. Imagine if this was you. You would want someone, like you, who knows something, to come forward and tell your truth," Towns said.

Davis' sister, Lanah Dudley, hopes the killer will come forward so her family can have some closure. 

"Whoever did this, you didn't have a heart when you did it, but just to have a heart to come forward. I don't know how you can live with yourself," she said. "Hayden was my best friend, the person that I talked to every day, who encouraged me to keep going, because life wasn't that hard. She always told me somebody's struggle is worse, so I always had to be positive."

Because her personality was so positive, she was proud to be transgender. She helped transgender youth, she worked with the elderly as a certified nursing assistant, and even modeled as the lips of Chanel -- a smile that is sorely missed.

"Her smile was to die for. Even when she was having a bad day, she would think about it and just smile," Nahabedian said. "Truly a great soul, and she is missed."

Up to a $5,000 reward is offered for information. Submit tips to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP