On the night of her disappearance, the 14-year-old transgender girl Pauly A. Likens left her friend’s house to walk home. Her last known communication was a Snapchat interaction with the same friend at 2:30 am, according to a criminal complaint report shared with NBC News. Additionally, she was seen pacing back and forth at a public park, seemingly waiting to meet someone based on surveillance footage nearby.

Tragically, dismembered remains were found in a nearby reservoir on June 25, the same day her father reported her missing. Her remains were found in Shenango River Lake, a reservoir 15 minutes away in western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.

The discovery shook the local LGBTQ community, with Dr. Tyler Titus, a mental health professional and advocate, expressing the visceral impact of Likens’ murder.

“Having it be this close to home, you can’t help but feel it viscerally,” Titus told Erie News Now on Monday. Titus is not just a mental health professional, he’s also a Erie City Council official and founder of northwestern Pennsylvania LGBTQ nonprofit Compton’s Table. For Titus, who is gender-nonconforming, the visceral feeling that comes from Likens’ murder “goes through your whole body.”

This tragedy highlights the overwhelming social and legal landscape for the rights of trans youth, who in the past year have been facing relentless challenges in pursuit of equality such as gender-affirming care, bathroom access, sports participation and more.

Around the time of Likens’ murder, independent research organization Trans Legislation Tracker announced that the number of anti-trans bills across the U.S. in this year now totaled 617, marking the fifth consecutive record-breaking year for total bills. Last year totaled 609.

The suspect of the murder is Dashawn Dale Depree Watkins, a 29-year-old who was arrested last week and told the police he was meeting with someone on Grindr at the park Likens was last seen. He denied ever meeting her, though was captured on video returning home later that night, struggling to move a large duffel bag into his residence, leaving a trail of blood, according to an exclusive affidavit shared with The Advocate on Monday.

Later the same day, he reportedly purchased a power saw and was seen observed on video footage repeatedly leaving his home with a several smaller bags, in which the police believe to have been Likens’ dismembered body parts.

As of this week, the Mercer County Coroner’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that the body parts dotted throughout the lake consecutively over several days belonged to the 14-year-old. Watkins is currently charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to court documents. Should he be found guilty, he can be charged with the death penalty or life in prison.

A GoFundme page set up to help with funeral costs and direct family support raised more than $3,000, though it has since been taken down following the mass attention the case has gotten.

While the LGBTQ community and Pennsylvanians mourn the death of Likens, those speaking out have articulated concerns about the larger implication this has for the future of the trans community, especially trans youth, who are significantly more vulnerable.

Recent anti-LGBTQ hate and the already-suffering of mental health for trans youth

Pennsylvania ranks low in comparison to other states throughout the nation pushing legislation that bars the rights of young transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Of the 621 bills introduced on the floor this year, Pennsylvania makes up for only eight of them.

Last year’s legislation was also an all-time high record before this year’s at 609 anti-LGBTQ bills, and was proven to play a role in the drop of mental wellbeing of young LGBTQ people, according to The Trevor Project’s National Survey on Mental Health.

Just this February, 16-year-old nonbinary Oklahoman Nex Benedict died days after they were attacked by a group of students in Owasso High School’s bathroom. National organization advocating for LGBTQ youth Rainbow Youth Project reported to GLAAD that 349 crisis calls were received between Feb. 16 and 20, with nearly 70% mentioning Benedict’s story as one of the reasons for their distress.

Corinne Goodwin, executive director of Pennsylvanian trans resource nonprofit Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, says that the surge of hostility against the trans community has instilled a concerning amount of fear into the lives of many young trans people.

“As a way to seek the validation and community that they cannot get in public settings, many transgender people turn to social media and dating apps,” said Goodwin, who is trans herself. “This makes them easy prey for those who would do them harm.”

In the same interview with Erie News Now, Titus explains that this gravitation to seeking community online is what happens when safe spaces are lacking.

A breaking point: patience is wearing thin for transgender advocates

Following the discovery of unidentified body parts at the lake, Likens’ community members feared that the unidentified limbs would belong to the trans teen.

“No one wanted to believe that,” Pamela Ladner, who runs a local group LGBTQIA Alliance Shenango Valley, told local news outlet WKBN27 on Monday. “But certainly, it was in the back of our minds.”

Titus gave Reckon a written comment about Likens’ death, in which they noted that transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people navigate their lives viscerally aware of hatred that is fostered for the community.

“As an openly queer, nonbinary elected official deeply involved in the mental health and well-being of queer youth, I see firsthand the immense challenges these young individuals face,” they wrote, harkening society’s failure to provide a supportive environment to the direct cause of mental health issues, including suicide. “[Likens’] violent death underscores the urgent need for comprehensive protections, affirming spaces, and accessible health resources for our community.”

Meanwhile, Sharon High School’s principal Mike Fitzgerald announced free counseling to students across the district who are struggling over Likens’ death.

“I think the typical question that comes out is why. Why did this happen?” Fitzgerald told WKBN27 on Monday. “And that’s a question that really, we always say we really never may know the answer to. But instead of mourning the loss, we celebrate the life.”

Likens would have turned 15 this past Saturday. In looking ahead towards the future of their beloved community, Titus was candid about feeling exhausted by the prospects of trans people continuing to ask for basic human protections.

“I am tired, and I am so damn angry with the complacency of allies and full-on assault of the ignorant that I have no gentle or insightful way to ask anyone to stop killing us and our children.”

Serving the constituents of the 12th District in Montgomery County, Democratic Sen. Maria Collett shared Likens’ story on X, showing solidarity for the local trans community in addition to sharing an upcoming event for community members.

For those in Sharon, Pa., a candlelight vigil will be held in honor of Likens this Saturday at 7 pm.