'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAhEAABAwMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRAAQFITFBUQYSIv/EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/xAAZEQADAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABBH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AJixyuQbu8jaKdSMcGAtKG5SoBJ0HW8z3NVrHlvsy2o2aDKQfrU7cnmlKGOSNQC6+5F3ZXIG/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Following the discovery of the remains of Aubrey Dameron, a Native American transgender woman from Ottawa County, Oklahoma, detectives announced that they are temporarily halting their search.
The family shared their appreciation for the community's efforts to assist in the search, reports newson6.com. After six years of searching, they finally have some answers, although the investigation into her death is ongoing.
Aubrey Dameron was 25 when she disappeared, according to People, and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation living in Grove, Oklahoma. She was described by those close to her as someone who always reached out to people in need.
Her family members remembered that she embraced outsiders, supported people who felt marginalized, and had an infectious love for life. People quotes Aubrey Dameron's uncle Christian Fencer as saying:
"That's just who she was. She just wanted to make sure that everyone felt like they had a place in the world. Kind of like a mother hen, making sure that everyone was good and doing well."
Dameron was also an aspiring performer who wanted to be a singer or an actress but faced financial hardships that kept her from taking professional classes. She frequently put on shows for family members. She was deeply connected to her Cherokee heritage and took pride in her culture.
The Cherokee are a Native American tribe originally from the southeastern United States including regions now known as Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
According to Britannica, they are of Iroquoian lineage, and were among the largest politically consolidated tribes during the period of European colonization. The Cherokee were displaced on the Trail of Tears in the 19th century and sent to the region that is now called Oklahoma. In January 2024, the Quapaw Nation marshals confirmed that human remains discovered in a rural part of Ottawa County belonged to Dameron.
According to newson6.com, Aubrey Dameron's aunt, Pam Fencer, said that she was deeply grateful to everyone who had supported the family over the years by sharing flyers, raising awareness and helping in search efforts. The Cherokee Nation also recognized the importance of recovering her remains. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said:
"She was found, she deserved to be found, and her family deserved to have closure."
More about Aubrey Dameron's disappearance and investigation
Aubrey Dameron was last seen at her home around 3 a.m on March 9, 2019. According to People, her mother told the police that she was wearing a leather jacket when she left, reportedly to see someone. Her phone pinged later at a nearby trailer park, but no witnesses emerged to say that they had seen her that night.
Her aunt, Pam Smith, said Aubrey had always been in close contact with family and would not have gone missing without reason.
Smith and Fencer emerged as vocal advocates for Aubrey’s case, lobbying for coverage via social media, organizing searches, and working alongside advocacy networks like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).
Trending
However, they struggled at first to get law enforcement to take Aubrey Dameron's disappearance seriously, a battle familiar to families of missing Indigenous people.
A bloody sock was found near her home by a search team in March 2019, but forensic results proved inconclusive. Her case went unsolved for years, as investigators continued to open and close investigations only leading to the recent uncovering of her body.
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
