Paloma Vazquez had only recently moved to the United States. She came here from South America in search of a better life, hopeful to be in a place that was accepting of who she was — a place unlike her home country. Paloma was a transgender woman, and last week she was found shot to death in her Houston, Texas apartment. She was murdered for reasons police believe to be associated with her gender identity. Now detectives are struggling to not only find her killer — who remains at large — but her family as well.
Media reports aren’t being clear about the exact country the slain woman originally called home, but they’re clear on one thing: Paloma Vazquez came to the United States to avoid being violently targeted as a trans person in Latin America. Within six months of arriving here, however, she met the very fate that she feared in her own home country. Detectives do not know who killed her, but it is strongly suspected that the motive behind the slaying had everything to do with her being trans.
Paloma Vazquez was found shot to death in her Houston apartment last Saturday. Her killer, who is not known at this time, left no evidence of struggle. Furthermore, police say that there were no signs of forced entry in the apartment of the slain woman. This strongly indicates that whoever killed Paloma was someone that she either knew personally or at least was acquainted with well enough to allow into her apartment. With her only being in the area for approximately six months, it’s likely that her circle of friends or trusted acquaintances is still small enough for detectives to examine for any possible information.
Sadly, authorities have not been able to locate a next-of-kin for Paloma. She was an immigrant from Latin America, and from what is being reported very little is known of her background. This is just another horrible development in this tragic case. This woman’s family could be totally unaware of what came of their loved one. On the other hand, it’s also likely that Paloma had cut ties with her family altogether due to her gender identity and desire to live in another country altogether.
Paloma Vazquez deserves justice — and so do other trans victims of violence
According to UCLA, trans people are four times more likely to be victims of violent crime than cisgender people. Violent beatings, aggravated robberies and sexual assaults on trans victims is rampant across the U.S., but the number of homicides is also on the rise. Paloma Vazquez is one of the numerous victims of homicide who are trans, with 2022 on track to becoming as deadly of a year as the past two. To put that into perspective, 2021 is on record as the “deadliest year” in regards to the number of trans people who were victims of homicide.
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
