Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

CN: torture, murder, transgender identity

This will be an ongoing investigation. But what we know now is:

Sam Nordquist was born in Red Wing, Minnesota and lived most recently in St. Paul, Minnesota. He identified as biracial. In the missing person’s postings, Sam’s family said he had about 22 tattoos, including an owl tattoo on throat, dolphin, grandma & grandpa, and praying hands. Sam was 24 years old.

Sam traveled to New York in September 2024 and was last seen near Patty’s Lodge in Canandaigua. By the end of January, Sam was no longer in touch with his family. On February 9, his mother and sister filed a police report. On Valentine’s Day, police announced that Sam’s body has been discovered.

38-year-old Precious Arzguaga, of Canandaigua, 30-year-old Jennifer Quijano, of Geneva, 19-year-old Emily Motyka, of Lima, 30-year-old Patrick Goodwin, of Canandaigua, and 33-year-old Kyle Sage, of Rochester, have each been charged with second-degree murder, depraved indifference.

A search warrant was executed Thursday at room 22 at Patty’s Lodge in Hopewell where Nordquist was believed to have been staying. Bureau of Criminal Investigation Captain Kelly Swift for Troop E said that they found a “deeply disturbing pattern of abuse that ultimately led to Sam’s death.”

“Based on evidence and witness statements, we have determined that Sam endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse at the hands of multiple individuals.”

From what I’ve pieced together from social media associated with Sam’s sister and mother, he had an online relationship with Precious Arzguaga and traveled to New York State to be with her in September 2024. Originally, he purchased a round trip plane ticket to return to Minnesota in October, but he did not. Friends posting on Facebook describe Sam slowly withdrawing from social media over the past several months.

Earalier this week, Sam’s sister Kayla reports, local police conducted a welfare check on Sam. Precious reportedly claimed that Sam left several weeks ago after they broke up. Precious claimed she did not know Sam’s whereabouts.

According to Swift, based on witness statements and evidence collected by investigators and multiple law enforcement agencies, they determined that between Dec. 2024 to Feb. 2025, Nordquist was allegedly “subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture in a manner that ultimately led to his death.”

“I am so sorry, as you heard, the facts and the circumstances of this crime are beyond depraved,” ADA James Ritts said. “This is by far the worst homicide investigation that our office has ever been a part of.”

So this is a brutal crime and it will take awhile for details to emerge. Sam’s sister reported that Sam just wanted love and to be in a relationship. That’s a universal human need. How we meet that need depends a lot on our support systems and the messages we internalize about ourselves. This is why it is imperative that we all work tirelessly to counter hostile anti-trans messaging. And we go looking when someone disappears.

Sam’s story reminds me of the brutal murder of Jacob Williamson, a 18 year old trans man in 2023. I also think of 14 year old trans teen Pauly Likens who was murdered and dismembered in 2024. Also in 2024, 17 year old Nevaeh River Goddard was tortured and starved over two years by her boyfriend who eventually brutally killer them in Rhode Island.

In 2023, a 16 year old British trans girl was also brutally tortured and murdered. Her name was Brianna Ghey. Also in 2024, Reyna Hernandez, 54, was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by her ex. Reports in 2024 on a 2016 murder of Ryan Zimmerman, 21, came to light. They had been tortured, killed, and dismembered by their lover’s wife. 17 year old trans man Morgan Moore was starved to death by his parents. In 2024, Dylan Gurley was beaten, stabbed, and strangled to death with extensive blunt force trauma marks. She was 20.

The list of increasing examples of terrible violence targeting trans folx, especially youth, is overwhelming. Are things getting more violent or just more accurately reported?

One thing I notice in reporting this story is how hard Sam’s family fought to find him. They used every tool at their disposal, every contact. They seem to have been relentless in their conviction that Sam was in trouble. Sadly, they were right. I hope whatever comfort can be found in knowing that they never stopped helps them process the horrors that lie ahead.

Don’t stop looking.

Sam is the second trans person whose death has been recorded in 2025. He is the second Black person and the first trans man.

I will return to Sam’s story when I know more about his life.

Rest in power, Sam. You did deserve love and kindness.

May your memory be a revolution.

Deaths reported in 2025

1. Tahiry ‘Tokyo’ Broom – February 9, 2025. Detroit, Michigan. Age 29.
2. Sam Nordquist – February 2025. Canandaigua, New York. Age 24.