Body found next to Mulholland Highway in Malibu is identified

A body that was discovered off the side of a road in Malibu early Thursday morning has been identified by family members as 27-year-old Day Rodas, a transgender woman.

Rodas' body was found in the area near the 33100 block of Mulholland Highway at about 7:40 a.m., according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. 

LASD deputies originally confirmed that the body was that of a male adult, but provided no additional information other than that there were no obvious signs of trauma.

In a GoFundMe page created by Rodas' sister, she was described as "the most forgiving person who strongly advocated for LGBTQ rights." 

Rodas was an employee at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. "She was the most forgiving person who strongly advocated for LGBTQ rights. She had so much love for family and friends and she saw the good in everyone ... after being afraid for 27 years, she only got to live freely without fear for only six months which breaks our hearts," her younger sister wrote.

Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, said in astatement that Rodas was a "vital member of the center, working within our Community Health Program, and she worked devotedly during her tenure to keep LGBTQ+ people educated, informed, and safe. We are so proud of the work that Day did for the center and our community." 

"To have her life cut short in this moment and under such troubling circumstances, makes her loss all the more heartbreaking. We cannot honor the life of Day Rodas without naming that violence against transgender people  particularly transgender women of color, is at an all-time high," Hollendoner said.

They are awaiting an examination by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office to determine the cause of death

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.