Chicago Black trans woman Tatiana "Tee Tee" Labelle, 33, was found dead in a trash can at about 12:45 p.m. on Friday, March 18, in the Chatham neighborhood alley located in the 8400 block of South Ingleside Ave.
According to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), her body was discovered by an unnamed witness. Labelle was last seen Sunday, March 13, on the 700 block of East 84th Street, in Chicago.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Cook County medical examiner's office autopsy ruled her death as a homicide and CPD area two detectives are investigating. Both the Sun-Times (as well as other news outlets) and medical examiner's office used Labelle's deadname.
As of this publication, Labelle is the seventh known trans/non-binary/gender nonconforming person in the United States to have been murdered in 2022. Last year was the deadliest on record with at least 57 trans/non-binary/gender nonconforming people reported murdered.
Labelle's homicide comes on the heels of the discovery of Chicago Black trans activist Elise Malary's body in Lake Michigan at the 500 block of Sheridan Square in Evanston. Friends of both women posted missing person's information online in the days before their bodies were found.
The Chicago native's Facebook page was mostly filled with photos of herself and various family members. Not much else is known about Labelle's life since those details are omitted from her Facebook profile.