Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

“It’s so scary that that can just happen to you,” Love said. “You can just disappear off the face of the earth for years and nobody can find you. And it’s so wrong.”

Aubrey Dameron, a young Cherokee transgender woman left her family’s house in Grove. Oklahoma on March 9, 2019. She was never seen again. Her remains were found in January 2025 an hour away in Picher-Cardin area of Oklahoma. A cause of death has not been made public, but her death has been ruled a homicide. Aubrey was 25 when she disappeared.

The Crime

Autopsy results have not been released. Rumors abound, but there is still no concrete information about Aubrey’s journey from her backyard to her final resting spot. Her family pled with investigators and ended up hiring an Indigenous investigator of their own.

We don’t know what crime Aubrey endured, yet. But we do know that she and her family were criminally treated by the people charged to protect and find her – law enforcement bias against Indigenous people.

You can read a well laid out exploration of that particular history at this link.

Quapaw Nation Marshals found her remains. Follow up investigations by  Delaware County Sheriffs Office, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) Missing and Murdered Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation came soon. Cherokee Nation Acting Marshal Daniel Mead confirmed the FBI has taken over Dameron’s case, but he did not explain when this happened or why. It was the FBI who classified her case as a homicide and criticized the earlier investigations.

But Aubrey is more than a cause or a symbol. She was a young woman with her whole life in front of her, overcoming hardships and struggles.

Honoring Aubrey

Aubrey was born in Colcord, Oklahoma. She graduated from Grove High School in 2012 and Grove Beauty College. She enrolled in North East Oklahoma A&M to study nursing. Aubrey worked for McDonalds, Izonu, and other retail outlets.

Aubrey was enrolled with the Cherokee Nation and also of Delaware descent. According to her family, she identified as Two-Spirit and an Indigenous Cherokee Woman.

She also lived in Vinita, Noel, and Oklahoma City. Grove is part of the Cherokee Nation and Cherokee County.

Aubrey was an admirer of Elizabeth Gilbert and posted a lot of affirmations on her social media. She was a woman of faith. She liked Nckki Minaj and Cardi B.

In her own words

“Hi I’m Aubrey I am 22 years old single Transgender Female prefer plain old female just found this page hoping it brings me happiness with all of the positive energy and encouraging sayings! My goal is to find love and happiness along life’s journey !” 2016

“I’m transgender MY life MATTERS!” 2016

“I am a Transgender M/f who was bullied and stood up for who i was as a Transgender teen and now a Transgender Adult!” 2014

“This does serve as a point I am Transgender and I feel I am no different than the next what i do feel is that each of us have a different lets say swag that attracts others! Were all unique!” 2014

“I am Transgender and i love my Family and extend my love to friends Please realize I am a human being and my love life is no different than yours i have had love in a relationship I have had arguments, fights, no one persons relationship is perfect Jesus is! Separate myths from Facts!” 2014

“We seek equality I know this but somewhere in the pathway i see transgender people get erased are we not human to or are we someone that you assume were not? Did i choose to be a MAN? Think about that I chose to be Human a being full of love H8 is a nature we must detain I seek a lover that is truly themselves! Labels are for whats 4 dinner not a price tag u set for a soul mate. Crush Hate” 2014

“Equal rights for all no matter what tasty color or sour soul you may be rather gay straight Bi or Transgender! Love is Love! Be open bc i have a heart as well you do to!” 2013

Aubrey advocated for bathroom access for trans folx during the construction of a nearby casino.

Her aunt told KOSU

“She was so proud of her identity as a transgender woman, and we are forever missing her and her powerful legacy of kindness she has left behind,” Pam Fencer said at the OKC memorial. “From princess dresses to ball gowns, she was always confident in herself. We hope you carry the love you share for Aubrey to everyone else.”

Her family set up a Facebook page to track the investigation and now to honor Aubrey’s legacy.

The Context

Aubrey is the 18th trans person whose death has been reported in 2025. .She is the 15th trans woman. She is the 14th transgender person of color on our list.

I’ve noticed Oklahoma quite a bit in recent killings. Why? I have a list of neighbors who have been killed at least three are from Oklahoma. As for documented cases 2022 Clay Stephens 2020 Dustin Parken

I’ve also begun to notice that more and more of the victims are of Indigenous descent. Or perhaps I’m just starting to look for that information when before I skimmed past. Poe Black, Nex Benedict, Tortuguita, Savannah Williams, Marilyn Augustine Hendren, Acey Morrison, Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow. Zachee Imanitwitaho,

I simply want to impress upon you that in addition to the indignities and disregard law enforcement holds for trans people of all identities, the added layer of being a trans person of color – Black, brown, Asian, AAPI, Indigenous – adds an especially difficult challenge to hopefully find missing people or at least find justice for them.

Colonization is at the heart of so much injustice, including anti-trans violence. The manifestation of removing people and confining others is playing out in the media this very day. While we don’t know yet the details of how Aubrey died, we do know that what she endured – the bullying, the transphobia, the abuse by her ex-boyfriend, and the disregard of her disappearance by law enforcement – even tribal officials – is tied to colonizers treatment of Indigenous peoples, including the unique experiences of the Cherokee. Aubrey’s experience is deeply tied to that painful legacy. It isn’t just something that happened historically. It is a strong force present in the lives of Aubrey and so many others

Imagine waiting six years for news about your daughter only to learn she’s been 40 miles away, waiting to be found? That harm came to her body and soul, but evidence has been tampered with and lost, time has erased valuable testimony, and even eight months later, she hasn’t been returned to her family. How does it take eight months to complete an autopsy, especially for a family living with such grief for so long?

It doesn’t. It is red tape and I use that deliberately to emphasize that this is a form of cruelty and legal neglect wrapped up in colonization. Aubrey’s ancestors weren’t from Oklahoma, they were taken there and discarded just like this young woman was. It is the same injustice rooted in the same oppression that stripped her of dignity. Except the love of her family, the spirit to survive and thrive, the resiliency that is required by every person of color – to our great shame as white folx – that refuses to allow her dignity as a person who mattered to be lost in bureaucratic nonsense.

Aubrey experienced multiple violations – bullying and harassment in her youth, violence and abuse by her ex-boyfriend in her young adult years, then being disappeared, but also the final mishandling by law enforcement.

We should play closer attention, be more mindful of trans and queer people who disappear.

A neighbor told KOSU

“It’s so scary that that can just happen to you,” Love said. “You can just disappear off the face of the earth for years and nobody can find you. And it’s so wrong.”

Rest in power, Aubrey. You came home after all this time and we have to ensure your full story is told. You deserved to be found when you are lost, you deserve to be comforted and safe and celebrated. Your family have used your story to lift up the situations of other missing Indigenous folx, but we must still share your story. I am sorry colonization continued to bring so much pain to your life.

May your memory be a revolution.

Deaths reported in 2025

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1. Tahiry ‘Tokyo’ Broom – February 9, 2025. Detroit, Michigan. Age 29.
2. Sam Nordquist – February 2025. Canandaigua, New York. Age 24.
3. Amyri Dior – February 21, 2025. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Age 23.
4. Ervianna ‘Baydee’ Johnsonn – February 19, 2025. Tabor City, North Carolina. Age 25.
5. Linda Becerra Moran – February 27, 2025. Los Angeles, California. Age 30.
6. Kaitoria ‘Kai’ Le’Cynthia Bankz – March 31, 2025. Autaugaville, Alabama. Age 31.
7. Kelsey Elem – April 24, 2025. St. Louis, Missouri. Age 25.
8. Shy’Parius Dupree – May 19, 2025. Memphis, Tennessee. Age 32.
9. Laura Schueler – June 7, 2025. Cincinnati, Ohio. Age 47.
10. Hope Lyca Youngblood – June 7, 2025, Los Angeles, California. Age 49.
11. JJ Godbey – June 19, 2025, Canton, Ohio. Age 26.
12. Rosa Martinez Machuca – August 11, 2025, Austin, Texas. Age 24.
13. Kamora Woods – June 25, 2025, Indianapolis, Indiana. Age 27.
14. Kasi Rhea – August 18, 2025, Lynchburg, Virginia. Age 31.
15. Blair Sawyer – August 11, 2025, Louisville, Kentucky. Age 27.
16. Onyx Cornish – August 19, 2025. Caldwell, Idaho. Age 18.
17. Karmin Wells – May 25, 2025. Detroit, Michigan. Age 37.
18. Aubrey Dameron – Found January 2025. Cardin, Oklahoma. Age 25.

Other deaths I’ve reported during 2025

• Elisa Rae Shupe – January 27, 2025. Syracuse, New York. Age 61.
• Chilendrina Gracia Dominguez – January 18, 2021. Reported February 2025. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Age 42.
• Amira O’Neill – July 6, 2023. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Age 44.
• Jay Lee – July 8, 2022. Oxford, Mississippi. Age 20.
• Ezra Hulett – June 23, 2025. Dominican Republic. Age 24.
• Blair Lumpkins Crabb – January 2025. California. Age 31.