A 19-year-old Nigerian Black Lives Matter activist, Oluwatoyin Salau from Florida has been found dead one week after she went missing.
Tallahassee police found the bodies of Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, along with 75-year-old Victoria Sims, on Saturday. Their deaths are being investigated as homicides.
Police arrested a suspect, Aaron Glee, 49, the Tallahassee Police Department said.
Oluwatoyin Salau was last seen on June 6. Earlier that day, she’d tweeted that she was sexually assaulted. Her friend Chynna Carney confirmed the Twitter account belonged to Salau.
The tweets said that Toyin Salau had left some belongings at a church where she was seeking shelter and a man who’d offered her a ride to recollect the items later molested her while she tried to sleep.
Her last words were of sexual assault which happened the day she went missing. June 6th 💔
She was found murdered. Only 19 yrs old.
Oluwatoyin Salau. A name History should remember.
She didn't deserve this. SHE DESERVES JUSTICE!
BLACK WOMEN MATTER!pic.twitter.com/7aQUM90qcr
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) June 15, 2020
Oluwatoyin Salau was only 19 years old, and spent her last days on earth fighting for Black lives. She deserved so much more. #JusticeForToyin pic.twitter.com/VdwYnpaUCn
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 15, 2020
Footage of Salau speaking at a protest in honor of Tony McDade, a trans man who was killed by Tallahassee police last month, has quickly traveled since her death. In the clip, she says he doesn’t want to divide people, but unite them against police brutality committed against black Americans.
Ms. Oluwatoyin Salau took part in demonstrations alongside the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, said Trish Brown, one of the founding members of the organization, which is dedicated to fighting systemic racism.
“She was a strong, young black female leader to me, and a powerful speaker,” Ms. Brown said.
Three days before Ms. Salau disappeared, Ms. Brown had sent a message to check in with Ms. Salau. “She said, ‘Love you.’ I said, ‘Love you, too,’” Ms. Brown recalled. About a week later, Ms. Brown saw a missing persons flier with Ms. Salau’s picture on it.
this hurts different. she was so vocal & tweeted about her abuser, she was an activist who was at every protest, she was a baby… literally 19. no one looks out for black women. all of this to say, i’m beyond heartbroken. #JusticeforToyin pic.twitter.com/eB9DT0yrEZ
— miski 🛸 (@musegold) June 15, 2020