Haines City, Fl. – The body of Mercedes Successful, a transgender woman, was found shot to death in the back parking lot of a Big Lots in Haines City May 15.
Successful, who is identified by her birth name and male pronouns in several local media reports and police statements, was 32 years old. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
The investigation is ongoing and leads are being looked into and followed, according to a statement from the Haines City Police Department.
Successful was a native of Kingston, Jamaica, and a well-known entertainer in Haines City’s LGBT community.
Successful is the 12th transgender women to be murdered in the U.S. since January 2016 and the second murdered in the Tampa Bay area. The body of India Clarke was found in a community center playground in Tampa July 2015.
“This is a thing we need to be able to move past but it’s only getting worse,” says Lucas Wehle, the Trans and Youth Coordinator for Metro Wellness. “We are dehumanized very often, and that’s why we are viewed as disposable by so many. That’s honestly how it feels when my family is being murdered and not being taken care of in many spaces.”
Wehle says the best way to stop trans violence is to get education on transgender issues out into the communities and to create environments where trans people feel safe and comfortable coming out.
“At the end of the day all we are wanting to do is live our lives authentically as you are so we shouldn’t be seen as any lesser than,” Wehle says.
A tribute is planned for Successful at Polk Pride, which is being held in Lakeland June 18.
“We are saddened by this tragedy in our own community,” says Scott Guria, co-chair of Polk Pride. “A moment of silence will be declared from the stage to honor Mercedes and all the members of the LGBT community that have experienced violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Anyone with information regarding the death of Mercedes Successful is asked to contact the Haines City Police Department.
