Story at a glance
- Oluwatoyin Salau was a well-known figure in the Black Lives Matter protests in Tallahassee, Fla.
- The same day she tweeted about being sexually assaulted, she went missing.
- Salau’s body was found along with that of a 75-year-old woman over the weekend.
Last month, 19-year-old Oluwatoyin Salau stood in front of the Tallahassee Police Department reciting the names of black people killed in the United States.
“I don’t want their names gone in vain,” she said.
On Monday, her name was identified as one of two bodies found over the weekend.
Tallahassee Police said two bodies were found on Saturday night during a follow-up investigation in a missing person case. Salau, who had gone missing on June 6, was found with another body identified as 75-year-old Victoria Sims. Aaron Glee, Jr., 49, is in custody as a suspect and police said the deaths are being investigated as homicides.
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The day she went missing, Salau tweeted that she had been molested by a black man who picked her up, offering a ride to a church she had been staying at to escape “unjust living conditions.” She shared her story in vivid detail, identifying the man’s vehicle and describing his home.
Mid 40’s lives in a gray painted duplex apartment style house drives a white clean Silverado Chevrolet truck https://t.co/psDCtYva2n
— Oluwatoyin (@virgingrltoyin) June 6, 2020
Police have not said if the tweets were what led them to find Salau’s body. Glee was arrested May 29 on a charge of aggravated battery after an officer saw him kicking a woman in the stomach, according to police reports. A misdemeanor battery charge was also filed against him on June 6.
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“I had a feeling that we were not going to find Toyin alive,” Danaya Hemphill, a friend of Salau’s, told the Tallahassee Democrat, using her nickname.
On Twitter, many tweeted in memory of her, some using the hashtag “Justice for Toyin.”
this hurts different. she was so vocal & tweeted about her abuser, she was an activist who was at every protest, she was a baby… literally 19. no one looks out for black women. all of this to say, i’m beyond heartbroken. #JusticeforToyin pic.twitter.com/eB9DT0yrEZ
— miski (@musegold) June 15, 2020
Oluwatoyin Salau was only 19 years old, and spent her last days on earth fighting for Black lives. She deserved so much more. #JusticeForToyin pic.twitter.com/VdwYnpaUCn
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 15, 2020
Users also remembered Victoria Sims, a retired state worker who was known for volunteering with the AARP and in local Democratic politics.
In a statement, the AARP said, “AARP Florida deeply regrets the death of Vicki Sims, a long-time AARP volunteer. We understand that the Tallahassee Police Department is pursuing an investigation into her death. Few details are available at this time. Vicki is survived by two daughters, Brenda and June, and several grandchildren. She was a member of the Tallahassee Heights United Methodist Church. She retired several years ago from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs.”
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