The Disappearance of Sacoya Cooper

 

Sacoya Cooper has been missing since August 31st, 2021. The then-33-year-old was last seen driving away from her home in Columbus, Ohio. Sacoya left her residence that evening to go to a nearby corner store. She never returned and has never been seen or heard from again.

Sacoya lived with her partner, Richard Harris, in the Cremeans Park area at the time of her disappearance. According to Harris, Sacoya left their home at 11:30 PM to buy bottled water from the corner store. By all accounts, this was supposed to be a quick errand - so after hours passed without any sign of Sacoya, Harris began to call her phone several times. The calls went unanswered; the phone appeared to be turned off. 

The following morning, Harris contacted Sacoya's friend, Bre Belcher, and asked if she had spent the night at her place. When Bre replied that she also had not seen or heard from Sacoya, the two decided to contact Columbus Police to report Sacoya missing. 

Weeks passed without any sign of Sacoya. Then, in mid-October, the black 2009 Ford Fusion that she was last seen driving was found abandoned in the west side of Columbus. The car did not have its original license plate; it had been replaced with a stolen one. Investigators later announced that, while processing the car, they found evidence that led them to believe that Sacoya was a victim of foul play. Due to the ongoing investigation, detectives have not shared what, exactly, was found.

A year after Sacoya's disappearance, the FBI joined the investigation. A monetary reward of at least $10,000 was offered in exchange for information that could solve Sacoya's case. Investigators noted that they believe there are "witnesses in the community" who know what happened to Sacoya. 

Years have passed since the reward was announced, but Sacoya still remains missing. She is described as a black transgender woman with brown hair and brown eyes, approximately 5'5" and 145 pounds. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing black braids and a black and white summer dress.

If you have any information that could help solve the disappearance of Sacoya Cooper, please submit a tip. 

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Sources:
10 TV
Charley Project
The Columbus Dispatch, (2)

FBI
NBC News