Case of trans woman found dead in Hollywood leaves family seeking answers

Santa Tecum wept softly as she hugged the clear plastic folder of photos to her chest. She described her sister as “very caring and loving.” “Even when we would fight she would say, ‘Come here, give me a hug,’” she said. “Before I would wear just any random shoes,” Tuch said, remembering how Garcia used to gently chide her about her appearance, saying things like, “You should be able to express yourself and try to put together a nice outfit.” Garcia, her sister said, used to always tell them jokingly: “I would rather be dead than to show up looking humble.” “She always very full of cheer and joy and now she’s no longer here,” Tuch said. Asked about Garcia’s family pushing back on the overdose theory, the detective said: “It’s a loved one and it’s difficult to accept, but the best I can do is to answer questions and to be truthful.” Public health officials announced earlier this year that drug overdose deaths plateaued countywide in 2023 with 3,092 deaths — the first time in a decade that such fatalities had not continued a year-over-year rise. “I can see messages where people would tell her, ‘I know that you’re still a man,’ and she would say, ‘No, I am a young lady,’” she said.