A transgender University of Washington student was found fatally stabbed near campus, touching off a search “to find the person responsible for this horrendous crime,” officials said Monday.
UW police were called to the student housing complex Nordheim Court at 10:10 p.m. Sunday, and officers discovered “a deceased victim in a laundry room,” Seattle Police Detective Eric Muñoz said.
The victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female,” Muñoz said.
The victim was not immediately identified, pending next-of-kin notification, a UW spokesperson said.
“I want to express my deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and loved ones of the UW student who was killed late last night,” university President Robert Jones said in a statement.
“There are no words that can express the profound loss of a student. While investigators have not yet identified a suspect or a motive, I want to recognize that when violence affects a trans person it can be especially worrying to our LGBTQIA+ community members.”
The killing will be “very difficult” for many students, Jones said.
“We are grateful to the Seattle Police Department homicide division for leading the investigation as they work to find the person responsible for this horrendous crime,” he said.
Nordheim Court residents were told via the UW Alert system to stay indoors and lock their windows and doors.
Residents were told that they “no longer needed to remain inside their homes” at 12:56 a.m. and that a “death investigation remains ongoing.”
Nordheim Court offers 454 units ranging in size from studios to four bedrooms, according to the school’s website.
The complex is eight buildings surrounding a courtyard. Laundry facilities are in building Nos. 1 and 7; the student was found in Building 7.
Investigators are searching for a man, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, “wearing a vest with a button-up shirt, and blue jeans,” police said.
“As a mom, my heart aches for her family and friends,” City Council member Maritza Rivera, who represents the University District neighborhood, said in statement. “As a Councilmember, this violent crime is disturbing.”
UW serves about 36,000 undergraduates in Seattle, working in a quarter system that wraps up its spring classes relatively late in the academic year compared with other major schools.
While many colleges and universities are in finals now, UW will not have its end-of-term exams until early June. Graduation ceremonies are set for June 13.
