MACON, Ga. — In Dec. 2022, a Macon mom and a community lost someone who was loved dearly.
The body of Destin Howard was found murdered in a West Macon parking lot. She was 23 years old.
Her mom, Taneshia Higgins Harrell, describes her as a shopaholic.
"She always put together unless she's like lounging around the house around us but when she's going out that door, from head to toe, she's together," Harrell said.
She said Howard was a big sneakerhead and Jordan's were her favorite shoes.
Harrell says Howard was a big prankster and some of her favorite memories are of Howard making jokes and causing a fuss around the house.
"Now that she's gone. This house is so quiet," Harrell said.
On Dec. 9, Howard was found dead in a parking lot. Harrell said she found out when reading an article someone sent her about a body being found.
"I sat on the bed, getting ready for work. And I read the whole article but I never would've thought that was my child," she said.
She says her heart was heavy and after reading the updated description of the body, she knew it was Destin.
When Harrell went to identify her daughter, she says the ID tag listed her gender incorrectly.
"On the bag, it had John Doe. Definitely didn't like that. And I told Mr. Jones, I said no, she got a name," she said.
Harrell says her daughter came out as a transgender woman at her high school senior prom. She says her daughter was loved and supported when she came out.
"At the end of the day that's my baby's life and I want my baby to know regardless of whatever road you may take with your sexuality, your mother loves you regardless," she said. "If kids can't feel loved and accepted at home, where can they feel loved and accepted at, so it was alright with me."
Harrell says she has a lot of good memories of Howard being a loving daughter and in many ways, like a best friend. But there will always be one day that hurts the most, the day she identified her child's body.
"The 12th is what really bother me because that's when I knew, definitely, my child was gone," she said.
Jaleel Parker, who was in a relationship with Howard, was arrested and charged with her death.
Harrell says she is learning to forgive.
"He going to have to pay for what he done anyway. So, me wishing more on him...I don't," she said.
Harrell says Howard's life as a transgender person mattered.
In November, Harrell went to a Transgender Day of Remembrance event by Navigating Omitted Minds Overtime or (NOMO), an organization dedicated to providing resources and community to trans women. Harrell spoke about her daughter's life.
She wants people to know how much Destin Howard's life mattered.
"I would like for everyone to know, because ya'll they are different, they are still loved. They have family that care about them," she said.
Howard was a graduate of Westside High School and went to Gordan State for college.
The day before she was murdered, she was taking a test to go into the Navy.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 41 transgender people were murdered in 2022.
Destin was not the only trans woman lost to violence in Georgia.
According to a report by the HRC, 26-year-old Keshia Chanel Geter and 19-year-old Kathryn “Katie” Newhouse were also lost in 2022.
Three Georgia natives are listed in their 2023 report. They are 35-year-old Koka Da Doll, 37-year-old Ashley Burton and 26-year-old Tortuguita.
These numbers do not fully encompass all the transgender lives lost due to some victims being misgendered in police reports and by news outlets, their cases not being reported as hate crimes to federal or state authorities and some crimes against transgender people not being reported to the police at all.
You can find out more about why the data around trans lives is incomplete in 13WMAZ's story for Trans Day of Remembrance.
You can find Destin Howard's name and other lives we remember on the 2022 More Than a Number Memorial Page.
MORE THAN A NUMBER:
More Than A Number is a Poynter-Stand Together award-winning project by Justin Baxley designed to help families of loved ones impacted by tragedy and trauma interact with journalists in a less intrusive way. Families are able to fill out a form about their family and also receive an in-depth guide on the next steps.
More Than A Number officially launched in August with a streaming special available on 13WMAZ+ for on-demand streaming. For any questions or concerns about More Than A Number, contact us here at the following email: MoreThanANumber@13wmaz.com