Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Very sad news for the families of Andre Gray and another missing man, Paul Kochu, who was cis het. Both of their bodies were found in the Ohio River, near Wheeling, West Virginia. The cause of death for Paul is undetermined until a complete autopsy is performed. Andre died from a gunshot wound, so his case is now an active homicide investigation. From WPXI:

Authorities said the body of Andre Gray, who went missing from his Lawrenceville home in October, was pulled from the Ohio River in West Virginia on March 20. 

Police said a preliminary autopsy indicated that Gray had been shot, shifting the case to a homicide investigation. No suspects are currently in custody, but police said the investigation is active.

“I need for them to confess. We’re a loving family and a forgiving family,” Gray’s mother, Victoria Gray-Tillman, said during the press conference.

Authorities also announced that the body of Paul Kochu, an Allegheny General Hospital nurse who disappeared from his South Side home on Wharton Street in December, was found in the Ohio River on March 20.

His cause of death is yet to be determined, police said.

I am so very sad tonight that I have no adequate words to share.  I was on the road with Ledcat when I learned about the press conference. We were in the parking lot of Antney’s Ice Cream – thinking it was a fun way to celebrate spring and ended up watching the live feed on my cell phone.

A lot of Andre’s family turned out for the press conference, including his mother, bother and sister. They were amazingly composed and fielded questions with dignity while I sat in our car ugly crying. I am grateful both families have another step toward closure, grateful that the bodies in the river didn’t mean even more people have gone missing and yet – I’m just very numb and sad. What does this mean for other young gay black men in Pittsburgh? There’s a murderer on the loose which is scary. There are other unsolved cases – too many – involving young people of color.

I’ll delve into this more tomorrow. Tonight, I need to get some sleep. Please keep the families of Andre and Paul in your thoughts and prayers. Please remember their names. And the reward fund is still active because we need to catch this murderer.