On June 13, 2020, two community activists local to the

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

area, 19-year old Oluwatoyin Salau and 75-year old Victoria Sims, were found murdered in Tallahassee,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The suspect, Aaron Glee Jr., who was 49 at the time of the murders, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony murder among other charges. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Oluwatoyin Salau

Salau was born on August 27, 2000, in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

. She was a

Nigerian-American Nigerian Americans ( ig, Ṇ́dị́ Naìjíríyà n'Emerịkà; ha, Yan Najeriyar asalin Amurka; yo, Àwọn ọmọ Nàìjíríà Amẹ́ríkà) are an ethnic group of Americans who are of Nigerian ancestry. The number of Nigerian immigran ...

, A devout Christian, she was the youngest member of her church choir whilst growing up. Salau attended Buck Lake Elementary School and Swift Creek Middle School in Tallahassee, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2018. Following graduation, she studied

cosmetology Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , '' -logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/ pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such ...

at Lively Technical College, simultaneously starting her business in hairdressing and modeling. In 2019, Salau enrolled at

Tallahassee Community College Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 st ...

while still at Lively, intending to study law at

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

thereafter. Salau disappeared on Saturday, June 6, 2020, shortly after tweeting about being sexually assaulted. Salau was found murdered in

, on Saturday, June 13, 2020, and her death was confirmed on Monday, June 15, 2020. Salau was an active participant in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Tallahassee, Florida, described as an "emerging leader" and "prominent voice" in the movement. She had advocated on behalf of

Tony McDade On May 27, 2020, after 11 a.m., a 38-year-old African-American transgender man, Tony McDade, was fatally shot in the Leon Arms apartment complex by an officer of the Tallahassee Police Department, following the fatal stabbing of Malik Jackson o ...

in particular.

Salau's disappearance and discovery of bodies

Shortly before her disappearance, on June 6, 2020, she tweeted that she was sexually assaulted by a black man after he offered to give her a ride back to a church where she sought refuge because of unjust living conditions. She was last seen alive on June 10, 2020. After a search by community residents, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, and Tallahassee Police Department, her body was found on June 14, 2020 around 9:15 pm local time near Monday Road in southeastern Tallahassee. Salau's body was discovered with that of Victoria Sims, a 75-year-old who had been active in local politics. Salau was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee.

Suspect

The suspect in Salau and Sims's deaths, Aaron Glee Jr., was arrested in Orlando, Florida during the early hours of June 14 and charged with murder and kidnapping. Glee later confessed to the murder and rape of Salau. The bodies of Salau and Sims were found near his rental home in Tallahassee the night before. He had been arrested previously, less than a month prior, for

aggravated battery Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more generally to refer to ...

after a police officer saw him kicking a woman in the stomach when she refused his sexual advances.

Reaction

''RIP Toyin'' and ''Toyin'' trended on Twitter alongside the hashtag #JusticeForToyin after the news went out that Salau's body had been found.

Abike Dabiri Abike Kafayat Oluwatoyin Dabiri-Erewa (born 10 October 1962 ) is a Nigerian politician and former member of the Nigeria Federal House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Constituency in Lagos State. She was the Chairman of the House Committee ...

, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission called on the U.S. Government to ensure a thorough investigation of Salau's murder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salau, Oluwatoyin George Floyd protests in the United States American people of Yoruba descent Yoruba people History of Tallahassee, Florida Women deaths Female murder victims Violence against women in the United States Sexual assaults in the United States Lincoln High School (Tallahassee, Florida) alumni