Humberto Janelle Enriquez Ortiz, 28, was killed on September 15, 2018, in Laredo, Texas. Also known as Nikki Enriquez, Ortiz was a Latinx transgender woman and sex worker who commonly worked along San Bernardo Avenue. She was found shot in the head and left on a rural roadside, the same fate that had befallen three other women in the area: Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Luera, and Guiselda Alicia Cantu.

Authorities identified U.S. Border Patrol intelligence supervisor Juan David Ortiz as the suspect and arrested him on September 15, 2018, after a fifth woman, Erika Pena, escaped and directed investigators to him. Ortiz’s death was counted among a troubling number of violent deaths of transgender people that year and drew attention from advocacy groups concerned about violence targeting transgender women of color. She was remembered by family and friends as a daughter, sister, and friend; funeral services were held at Agüero Funeral Home & Crematorium with burial at Laredo City Cemetery.

If anyone knew Humberto Janelle Enriquez Ortiz or has information about her life in Laredo, please share what you know.