lit a candle 6h agoI don't really know what to say. 21 years old, a city worker found her between a house and a church. Her mother is still asking questions nobody's answered. I just sat here after reading it, thinking about her mom having to question the police's own story on social media.
Their story
Jhené Cordelia Audrict was a 21 year old transgender woman and college student living in St. Louis, Missouri. <cite index="1-3">Her mother, Melissa Crawford, described her as "very adventurous, a traveler, highly educated,"</cite> and said she was proud to be her daughter. <cite index="5-1">Audrict was also known by the nickname Sweett…
Jhené Cordelia Audrict was a 21 year old transgender woman and college student living in St. Louis, Missouri. <cite index="1-3">Her mother, Melissa Crawford, described her as "very adventurous, a traveler, highly educated,"</cite> and said she was proud to be her daughter. <cite index="5-1">Audrict was also known by the nickname Sweett Pea.</cite>
<cite index="2-6">Crawford told a local CBS affiliate that she had last spoken to her daughter on August 15, when Audrict was headed to her boyfriend's house.</cite> <cite index="6-5">The next day, Crawford said, Audrict's boyfriend called her to say Audrict was missing.</cite> <cite index="1-1">On August 17, 2026, Audrict was found dead by a city worker between an abandoned house and a church with a gunshot wound to the back of her head, according to her mother.</cite> <cite index="2-2">Police initially treated her death as an apparent suicide, which Crawford questioned on social media.</cite>
<cite index="7-2">Crawford said that Audrict was legally blind, and that when she was found her glasses were not located on her face, meaning she could not see, use a phone, or move around unaided.</cite> <cite index="1-4">"Jhené Cordelia Audrict will get justice," her mother vowed after questioning how police classified her daughter's death.</cite>
<cite index="6-2">An autopsy later identified injuries "that could be inconsistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to KSDK.</cite> <cite index="4-1">The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Division took over the investigation into Audrict's death in early November 2026.</cite> No arrests have been announced, and the circumstances of her final hours remain under investigation.
News of the reclassification drew attention from LGBTQ+ advocacy outlets and local media, which placed Audrict's death within a broader pattern of violence against Black transgender women that community trackers document each year. <cite index="7-5">Crawford said her goal was to get justice for Jhené, to advocate for the trans community, to raise awareness for domestic violence, and to advocate for mental health.</cite>
As of early November 2026, no funeral or memorial arrangements have been made public, and the police investigation into Audrict's death continues.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by PinkNews.
Photos
1by People Forever
Same. Her mom deserves real answers, not an easy label.