Former transgender reality star Domonique Newburn was found dead in her Fontana, Calif. apartment on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and police officials are closing in on a suspect after finding her stolen car late Wednesday, the Press-Enterprise reports.
According to the site, police have already found the black 2004 C240 Mercedes that was reportedly stolen from Newburn’s home on Tuesday afternoon after what neighbors called a “violent argument.”
On Tuesday, the 31-year-old’s body was found brutally murdered in her apartment after Fontana police were called to the residence. According to KTLA, she was found near an open window, suggesting that she may have been trying to escape at the time of her death.
Witnesses later told authorities that they watched a shirtless man leave Newburn’s apartment shortly after the explosive argument, clutching a computer and clothes in his arms.
He then drove off in Newburn’s car. It is unclear whether the man and Newburn had a previous relationship, or what the reasoning was behind the attack.
In 2010, Newburn, who was born Daymond but began to cross-dress when she was 22, starred in a YouTube reality series called Hollywood Houseboys, which featured the lives of four gay friends trying to make it in the entertainment industry.
She spoke candidly about her struggles acclimating to her new lifestyle, and admitted on the show that her family didn’t know about about her hormone treatments or her decision to transition from a man to a woman.
“We are all deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of our sister, Domonique Newburn,” show producer and costar Ryan Hope said in a statement to NBC4. “Domonique was an amazing person whose spirit transcended gender. When we set out to document our lives for reality television, we never once wished to make headlines like this. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with her family.”
