This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
On June 6, 2020, 19-year-old Oluwatoyin Salau, a prominent Black Lives Matter activist, went missing in Tallahassee, Florida. She had been vocal about her experiences with sexual harassment and had been a key figure in the protests against the murder of George Floyd.
According to her tweets, Salau had been sexually assaulted by a man who promised to give her a ride to church. Despite reporting the incident to the police, she was told that she needed more evidence to press charges.
Salau's body was found on June 15, 2020, alongside the body of a 75-year-old woman. The police announced her death nine days after she went missing and arrested a suspect, who was later charged with murder and kidnapping.
Friends and fellow activists remembered Salau as a resilient and vocal advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement. Her death has sent shockwaves through the community, and her legacy continues to inspire others to speak out against injustice.
On the day she went missing, Salau tweeted about her experience, saying: 'Anyways I was molested in Tallahassee, Florida by a black man this morning at 5:30 on Richview and Park Ave. The man offered to give me a ride to find someplace to sleep and recollect my belongings from a church I refuged to a couple days back to escape unjust living conditions.'
