Layleen Polanco Found Dead At Rikers Island

Layleen Polanco Found Dead At Rikers Island

Family and friends of Layleen Polanco are reeling after their loved one was found lifeless in a jail cell. Polanco also known as Layleen Xtravaganza, died June 7 at Rikers Island.

The New York Post reports that she was found unresponsive in her cell at the Rose M. Singer women’s facility around 2:40 p.m. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.

“Any death in our custody is a tragic loss, and we are looking into how this happened,” ‎a DOC spokesperson told the publication.

No further details have been released.

The 27-year-old is now the 10th transwoman to be found dead this year.

“Pose” actress Indya Moore who grew up with Layleen also spoke on her death and condemned the current administration for not protecting trans lives.

“I knew Layleen growing up. I Remember desiring to be beautiful like her. She was cool, and funny too, like all of us she had dreams of escaping poverty and the misery of social ostricisation. She is the 10th trans woman to die this year. Noone knows if it was a murder, or how she died but this is the closest black trans death has ever gotten to me and this is extremely alarming and traumatic,” wrote Indya on Instagram.

“As you all know the trans community is extremely small, we feel every loss and we often all know someone who knew somebody murdered. By initiation of the trump administration, the supreme Court is debating RIGHT NOW on whether trans people deserve to be a federally protected demographic, to equal access legal aid, employment, shelter, healthcare, and employment they are hearing our cases on why we deserve human rights.

Our current administration is sending a legislative message that trans peoples lives don’t matter and that is encouraging people to take our lives, it’s making our deaths go uninvestigated. I don’t want to die, I don’t want us to die.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByeJImLHJKN/

She also compared Layleen’s mysterious passing to Sandra Bland’s and encouraged people to demand answers.

Three days later and the family and friends of Layleen STILL don’t have details about what caused her death???

We hope they get the clarity they so deserve.