JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) A homicide investigation is underway after a transgender woman was found dead in a wooded area in late-February, ABC-affiliate WCTI reports.
Jacksonville police said the body of 34-year-old Jenna Franks was found by city street crews in a wooded area near a bike trail as they were clearing a ditch on Feb. 24. At this time, there is no additional information that can be released due to the open investigation, said Capt. Mike Capps, supervisor of the Jacksonville Police Department Investigative Services Division.
Days after the body was found, the Jacksonville Police Department deemed Franks death a homicide. Officers did not disclose what elevated the death investigation to a homicide investigation.
Jenna Franks Purposely Deadnamed by Police After Being Killed
She is the ninth trans person believe to be violently killed in 2021. March 05 2021 8:02 AM EST
Investigators in Jacksonville, North Carolina, announced yesterday they now believe a trans woman whose lifeless body was found last month was murdered, but police and local media continue to use the victim’s deadname in public records. The body of Jenna Franks, 34, was found by city workers February 24th in a wooded area adjacent to a ditch they were clearing. GLAAD and friends of Franks called out the Jacksonville Police Department and local media for repeatedly misgendering her in death. Franks is the 9th known transgender victim of violence so far this year in the United States.
By Daily News staff
Jacksonville Police Department officials are investigating a fatal shooting Saturday on Brenda Drive.
The preliminary investigation has found that the victim and another person at the Brenda Dr. address became involved in some type of altercation. “We are in the preliminary stages of this investigation, however we believe this to be an isolated incident.” said Captain Mike Capps in a news release.
Jacksonville Police were dispatched at approximately 4:17 p.m. Saturday to a report of a shooting at the residence of 109 Brenda Dr. Responding officers found 27-year old, Justin Lewis McCarthy, lying on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound.
The Jacksonville Police Department have raised the reward money offered up for information regarding a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in November.
At approximately 11:29 p.m. on Wednesday officers with the Jacksonville Police Department received a 9-1-1 call about a shooting in the parking lot of The Reserve Apartment Complex located at 100 Talon Drive.
They found 21-year-old Lamarr Jerrod Johnson who had suffered a gunshot wound and was lying on the ground. First responders immediately began life saving measures but were unsuccessful as Johnson died at the scene, according to JPD.
Investigators say several suspects are involved and fled the area in a passenger car. A canvassing of the area and witness interviews have begun in an attempt to locate any additional witnesses and evidence relating to the shooting.
A joint investigation and cyber tip led officers to the arrest of a man they say is accused of crimes against children.
Anthony Preston Littleton, 47, of 3 Rogers Avenue in Jacksonville, was arrested by the Jacksonville Police Department and charged with three felony counts of 2nd degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Littleton is currently detained in the Onslow County Jail under a $75,000 bond, according to a news release from JPD.
N.C. Courts has Littleton s first court appearance scheduled for Thursday morning in Onslow County District Court.
Officers say they recently received a cyber tip from the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (NCICAC) Task Force. JPD Detective Jason Griess launched an investigation with the assistance of the NC State Bureau of Investigation and the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office regarding the tip.