MACHANICSVILLE, Md. — The St. Mary County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the murder of an 18-year-old transgender woman.
The victim was identified as Tasiyah "Siyah" Woodland of Lexington Park. Her legal name is Isaiah Alexander Woodland.
Early Friday morning, deputies responded to the parking lot of the Big Dogs in Paradise bar at the 28700 block of Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville for reports of shots fired.
Woodland was found dead near the scene, suffering from several gunshot wounds.
According to deputies, it does not appear that Woodland was targeted because of her gender identity. The shooting is also believed to be an isolated incident, and there is no threat to the general public at this time.
The Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the victim's family, members of PFLAG Southern Maryland, and the LGBTQ+ community to address concerns about personal and public safety.
Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact Detective David Lawrence at 301-475-4200, ext. 78130, or by email at david.lawrence@stmarycountymd.gov.
A GoFundMe was started by the family.
