April 23 marks four years since Iris Santos was murdered outside a fast-food restaurant in West Houston. The 22-year-old transgender woman was shot outside a Chick-fil-A on Westheimer. As her family seeks answers, advocates are calling for an end to violence against transgender individuals.
“Iris was a wonderful child,” said Maria Carreon, reflecting on her youngest child. “She knew from a young age she was a girl.”
READ MORE: Surveillance video released after transgender woman killed outside of Houston area Chick-Fil-A
Born a boy, Iris was different from Maria’s other children.
“She let me know that she wanted to be a girl, not a boy. She was in the wrong body. When she told me that, she started guiding me on how to support her. She was my daughter,” Maria explained.
On April 23, 2021, Iris was shot and killed outside the Chick-fil-A.
Days after the murder, Houston police released surveillance video showing a suspect believed to be involved in the case.
Detectives are looking for a man wearing white pants and a dark hoodie, seen running from the scene.
“We have no clue. We don’t know,” Maria said.
With each passing year, Maria grows more anxious to solve her daughter’s murder.
“One day I’m going to be happy to find out what really happened to her that day. That’s what I really want,” she said.
Since 2013, more than 370 transgender and gender non-conforming individuals have been murdered, according to data from the Human Rights Campaign. Texas leads the nation in the number of killings of transgender people, with many cases remaining unsolved.
Months after Iris was murdered, Paloma Vazquez, another transgender woman, was found shot to death inside her Gulfton-area apartment. Elia Chino, founder and executive director of FLAS Inc., noted that Paloma had recently immigrated to the U.S.
“She was a beautiful girl, trying to survive and have her own things in this country,” Chino said.
Paloma’s case also remains unsolved.
KPRC submitted an open records request to the Houston Police Department to find out how many cold cases the agency has, and how many of those victims identified as transgender or gender non-conforming.
