Coroner Confirms Burned Torso That Of Missing Detroit Transgender Teen; Equality Michigan Calls For FBI To Investigate Case As Hate Crime

An unfortunate update on a previous post, The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Wayne County medical examiner has identified a burned torso found on an I-94 service road on Detroit's east side as belonging to Henry Hilliard, 19, a missing teen known as Michelle, Shelley or Treasure. Hilliard was last seen at 1:20 am October 23, near the 900 block of Longfellow, wearing a silver dress. Hilliard's mother, Lyniece Nelson, said Hilliard went there to meet a man, and was calling for help when the line went dead. On Wednesday, investigator Albert Samuels matched the torso to Hilliard based on information Detroit police supplied about a tattoo of cherries on the teen's arm, said county spokesman Dennis Niemiec. He said Nelson identified her child's remains Thursday. "Just continue to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life," Nelson said Thursday, to whoever harmed Hilliard. "Know that she is loved, and we will not stop until you pay dearly for what you've done." Equality Michigan, a gay rights group, said it referred the case to the FBI to investigate as a hate crime because Michigan's ethnic intimidation law does not specifically address attacks based on sexual preference. Detroit Police spokeswoman Sgt. Eren Stephens said homicide detectives are investigating. "There are a lot of classic signs of a hate crime," said Michigan Equality Director of Victim Services Nusrat Ventimiglia. Friends have posted remembrances on the Facebook page of the Ruth Ellis Center, an agency that provides social services for gay teens. Concerned friends and advocates had been looking for Hilliard for two weeks and apparently some knew where she was and what she was doing. The cause of death is pending discovery of the rest of Hilliard's body, Niemiec said. But investigators were able to make the match thanks to a change in Detroit Police policy following a Free Press article about a man who lay dead in the morgue for two months while his family looked for him. After that article was published, the department began sending detailed information about missing people to the medical examiner's office. A description of Hilliard, including details of the tattoo, was sent on Monday. The match was made within 24 hours.