Family of missing Columbus woman Sacoya Cooper asks for community help
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Photo courtesy the Cooper family
Columbus woman Sacoya Cooper disappeared over a month ago, and her loved ones are canvassing the community and asking others to aid their search.
Why it matters: After the disappearance of Gabby Petito attracted international attention, many are putting a spotlight on other missing people — and pointing out that cases involving people of color and LGBTQ people are often overlooked.
- Sacoya is Black and transgender, which means she's at greater risk to be a victim of fatal violence, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
- Columbus Division of Police detective Chuck Radich confirmed to Axios the disappearance is an "ongoing investigation."
How to help: Anyone with information about Sacoya's whereabouts can contact her family at 614-797-3388 or 419-276-3445, or call the Columbus Police Missing Persons Unit at 614-645-2358.
- Share a post on social media, like these Instagram photos.
- Print a poster and hang it in your neighborhood.
- A GoFundMe page Sacoya's brother set up, which uses her birth name, is collecting donations to pay her rent and buy food for her two dogs.
- Sign up for email updates about the search and support for her loved ones.
What they're saying: "Every second that she's away from her home is being away from safety," Charlie Stewart, an organizer with Black Queer and Intersectional Collective (BQIC), told The Columbus Dispatch.
- "It's getting to a point now where the family is having little hope each day, and that's really breaking my heart."
Flashback: Sacoya left her North Linden home at 11:30pm on Aug. 31 to go to a store. Since then, family and friends say they haven't heard from her and her social media accounts have been inactive.
- She is 5'5", 145 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair in lemonade braids to one side.
- She has two tattoos, one on each thigh, reading "Go Get the $" and "Sacoya."
- She was last seen near Howey Road and Weldon Avenue in a black 2009 Ford Fusion, wearing a black and white dress and black and white sandals.