On February 26, 2023, 31-year-old Cashay Henderson, a Black transgender woman, was found dead in her Milwaukee apartment near 29th and Villard streets after a fire. Firefighters discovered her body after extinguishing the blaze; an autopsy determined she died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and neck, and the fire was ruled arson. Neighbors reported hearing a loud noise like a gunshot, then the smell of gas and smoke that morning.

Investigators identified 33-year-old Cordell M. Howze of Neenah as a suspect. Surveillance footage showed Howze with Henderson in her car that night and later leaving her apartment. An acquaintance said he drove Howze to Milwaukee the day before, that Howze had a handgun, and that Howze later confessed and showed a video of Henderson’s body. Prosecutors presented evidence including internet searches and cell phone videos Howze recorded after the killing. Henderson’s family remembered her as a jokester, independent, and unapologetic, and an active advocate in Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ community.

Did anyone in the community see Henderson that night or have information about the surveillance footage or videos?