Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

A gender nonconforming man known as Ike was killed in Hastings, Minnesota in February 2025.

The Crime

From Fox 9

Eickholt was reported missing on Feb. 1, 2025, after authorities found a suspicious car fire at a Denmark Township property, with evidence that Eickholt had been injured. The next morning, Eickholt was found dead in a nearby ditch in Hastings. “Whoever did this went right to the first ditch in Hastings they could find, and dropped him off on the corner,” Eickholt’s friend Mitch Carmody told FOX 9 at the time. “Everything was burnt. It was just something nefarious [that] happened.”

The cause of death is a gunshot wound to his head.

Reportedly, he had been living out of one of his vehicles since his house burned down in the summer of 2024.

Over a year later, there are no leads in the case. A $1,000 reward is being offered.

Anyone with information about Eickholt’s death is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at  651-430-7850 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota.

Honoring Ike

It appears Ike led a somewhat solitary life. His friends organized a memorial event for him in June 2025. There otherwise was no obituary and no funeral.

“His life has kind of just been erased.”

Those are the words of Ike’s friend since 2023, Mitch Carmody. He organized the memorial event to celebrate diversity and inclusion.

Ike was often seen wearing dresses and femme clothing with a big floppy sunhat. His friends in the community said Ike rarely spoke about his gender identity, but they fear his nonconformity may have contributed to his death.

After his death, Eickholt’s family released a letter about him. They referred to him as Bill.

“Bill was a kind person who would say hello. Even if he didn’t know you. He was a trusting individual who believed all people were good. He loved nature and liked to walk and take in the beauty of his community. Bill had a dog for most of his life and loved to pheasant hunt. Bill was a free spirit and would not cause harm to anyone.”

The Context

The possibility that Eickholt may have been targeted due to his gender expression has been raised by a number of residents who knew him, including Mitch Carmody, a grief facilitator and friend of Eickholt. Carmody helped organize a June 15 “Diversity and Vulnerability Day” that memorialized Eickholt’s life last year in Prescott.

When asked about a possible hate crime charge, police said the investigation remains open and they have not ruled anything out.

Ike would have been the 23rd person on our list in 2025 and the 32nd person whose death was reported in 2025.

But this is 2026, so he is the 19th person on our list and the 16th whose death has been a confirmed homicide. Ike is the second man on this list and the sixth white person. Ike is the fourth gender nonconforming person on the 2026 list. At 74, he is tied with Dannielle Spillman as the oldest person. In 2025, he would have been the oldest person killed.

While we often focus on the youngest victims of this carnage, our elders deserve similar attention. My data shows 14 people 50 and older have died violent deaths. I’m sure that’s a low number due to various reasons including the generation, the generational views of their family and survivors, the culture of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and a lack of reporting.

We use the term gender nonconforming as an umbrella to include individuals who used their assigned pronouns, but chose to wear attire generally associated with a different identity. The problem is that we assign gender to clothing. Ike’s dresses were not women’s dresses. They were his dresses. While we don’t know much about how Ike identified, we can respect the way he presented to his community with the term gender nonconforming.

There’s bravery in challenging anything we are expected to do to conform to society’s rules – gender, sexual orientation, family structure, housing, jobs, religion, and so forth. Ike was a person of courage who had endured many hardships. His life ended in a terrible, brutal way. But it was not an ignominious death at all. His friends celebrating inclusion and diversity to honor Ike’s life is an excellent example of how this man’s life is not forgotten, not erased.

In 2024, we reported on the murder of Liara Kaylee Tsai and Ra’Lasia Wright. In 2023, we memorialized Savannah Williams, all killed in Minnesota.

Rest in power, Ike. You will not be erased. I am sorry we didn’t come to lift up your life sooner. While we will not impose pronouns or identities on you, we affirm that you were our neighbor and deserved respect. Your death deserves more than a $1,000 reward. You had value and brought joy to your community.

May your memory be a revolution.

Deaths reported in 2026

These individuals are part of the trans community including transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, and gender creative folx. Please do not share this content without attribution. Thank you

1. Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-Mccray – Petersburg, Virginia. March 13, 2026. Age 42.
2. Davonta Curtis – Chicago, Illinois. April 5, 2026. Age 32.
3. Dannielle Spillman – San Francisco, California. April 16, 2026. Age 74.
4. Aleanna Royal Belcher – Binghamton, New York. April 17, 2026. Age 31.
5. Lucas Redbeard Knapp – Candy Kitchen, Cibola County, New Mexico, April 18, 2026. Age 39.
6. Hailey Singleton – Dunnellton, Florida, May 5, 2026. Age 29.
7. Lanessa Rodriguez – Ft Pierce, Florida, April 28, 2026. Age 35.
8. Jade Roberts – Houston, Texas, January 2, 2026. Age 25.
9. Paris Harris – Dallas, Texas, April 17, 2026. Age 21.
10. Eryka Caldwell – New York, New York, May 17, 2026. Age 41.
11. Nathaniel Potts – Eldorado, Illinois, May 20, 2026. Age 16.
12. Persia Amarra Conway – Houston, Texas. Date unconfirmed. Found on May 26, 2026. Age 33.
13. Juniper Blessing – Seattle, Washington. May 8, 2026. Age 19.
14. Marlow Trottie – Alexandria, Louisiana. June 8, 2026. Age 35.
15. La’Daijah Walters – Mobile, Alabama. June 22, 2026. Age 32.
16. William ‘Ike’ Eickholt – Hastings, Minnesota. February 1, 2025. Age 74.

Other Deaths

We are following these cases, but cannot confirm the details right now.

1. Daniella Analee Escobedo – Las Vegas, Nevada (unconfirmed), April 12, 2026. Age 34.
2. Name Unknown – Charlotte, North Carolina. Found on May 21, 2026. Date of death unknown. Age unknown.
3. Leia Trysiss Ali – Las Vegas, Nevada. May 24, 2026. Age 35.
4. Kalena ‘Peaches’ Croskey – Birmingham, Alabama. June 11, 2026. Age 35.