On the still dark morning of September 4, tucked behind a rural Florida neighbourhood dotted with single-story houses painted bright green, turquoise and pink, flames licked the metal frame of a PT Cruiser parked in the grass.

When Hendry County Sheriff's deputies doused the flames, they found a woman's body inside so badly burned she couldn't be identified for days.

Now police say that Bee Love Slater, a black, transgender 23-year-old from South Florida, was murdered.

Investigators have not announced any suspects or leads, and the sheriff's office told reporters they could not say whether the grisly homicide was a hate crime.

"We can't say it's a hate crime yet because we don't know what the motive was," Susan Harrelle, from the Hendry Country Sheriff's office, told ABC 7.

The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Show all 24 1 /24 The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco gets ready to perform at the night club in Istanbul. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana and left her family home when she was 15-years-old to work as a DJ at a local radio station. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Coco does her make-up before performing. She became interested in theatre when she was a teenager and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights She was nominated for best woman actress for her performance in the theatrical drama 'Küründen Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights After her cabaret success, she starred in several TV series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series 'Pose'. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights She checks her phone before performing. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Coco walks along Istiklal Street as people travel in a tram in Istanbul. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Matmazel Coco tries new dress as she speaks with her tailor. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Her belongings before her performance at the Dada theater hall. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Trying on a new dress. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights She chats with her colleagues at a night club in Istanbul. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Performing on stage at the Dada theater hall. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Coco travels on the swith ferry from Asia to the Europe side in Istanbul. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Matmazel Coco does her make-up before performing at the Dada theater hall in Istanbul. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673931 (21/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco waits for her performance behind the stage at the Dada theater hall in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 February 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673937 (27/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco (C) walks after her performance at a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, 24 March 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673922 (12/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco waits to perform at a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 March 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673923 (13/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco does her make-up before a business meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, 02 May 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673911 (01/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco (L) arrives at a Istanbul subway station after a interview in Istanbul, Turkey, 27 May 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Matmazel Coco takes photo with journalists after an interview at Medyascope TV channel in Istanbul. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673936 (26/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco performs on stage a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, 24 February 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights Matmazel Coco does the voice for a drag queen character called Electra in a Netflix series called 'Pose'. EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673930 (20/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco does her make-up before performing at the Dada theater hall in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 February 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA The Turkish drag queen fighting for transgender rights epa07673921 (11/29) Turkish Drag Queen Matmazel Coco (R) gets ready to perform at the night club in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 March 2019. Transgender rights activist, actress, and drag queen, Seyhan Arman (39) was born in Adana, Turkey. She left her family home when she was 15 years old and began working as a DJ at a local radio station. She became interested in theatre and first took to the stage in a charity play supporting the disabled community, before performing as a clown on the streets of Adana. In 2000 she moved to Istanbul to work as a singer in a number of underground night clubs. During these years she became involved with the political LGBT community 'Lambda Istanbul'. At this time she took to the stage as drag queen 'Matmazel Coco' (Mademoiselle Coco) performing at nightclubs and entertainment events and in 2014 she began her professional acting career. She was nominated for â€œbest woman actressâ€ for her performance in the theatrical drama 'KÃ¼rÃ¼nden Kabare' (Cabaret of Sham) which she wrote and produced over two seasons, telling the story of her life as an LGBT individual. After this success, she starred in several tv series and movies and most recently she has been working dubbing the voice of black drag queen character Electra in the Netflix series â€œPoseâ€. EPA/SEDAT SUNA ATTENTION: For the full PHOTO ESSAY text please see Advisory Notice epa07673910 SEDAT SUNA EPA

But advocates say Ms Slater was the latest victim in an alarming trend, as transgender murders are spiking across the US - particularly in Florida, where the hate crime statute does not apply to people attacked for their gender identity.

"Our society needs to work to ensure transpeople can live without fear," the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said in a statement about Ms Slater's death.

Ms Slater's body was found at the edge of Harlem, Florida, a small community about 65 miles west of West Palm. Slater lived about 32 miles away around the southern bend of Lake Okeechobee in Pahokee, Florida, an economically depressed town best known for producing NFL talent.

Her friends say Ms Slater, who transitioned her gender earlier this year, wanted to save money to move to Atlanta, where she believed people would be more accepting of her transgender identity.

"She always had a smile on her face," her friend Desmond Vereen, who called himself her "gay mother," told the Miami Herald. "She always gave hugs and kisses, always told you that she loved you."

But more recently, Ms Slater began posting on Facebook that she'd gotten harassing messages that scared her, a friend told Out Magazine. She reportedly texted a friend that she wanted to leave town the night she died.

"She posted messages saying she felt as if people were after her to attack and hurt her and she had a conversation with one of her best friends the day she was murdered saying she wanted to leave [the city]," her friend Antorris Williams told Out.

"She was willing to sleep in her car until she found a job and things of that nature."

Transgender women and gay man dragged from bar in Los Angeles

So far, the sheriff's office says there is "no evidence" about the cause of her death - in part because her car was scorched to its metal frame. Meanwhile, her friends and transgender rights advocates are demanding justice.

"How could someone go to that extreme to get rid of her?" her friend Kenard Wade told WINK news. "I just want justice for her."

At least 18 transgender people have been murdered in the US this year, according to Human Rights Campaign advocates who track the homicides. Last year, advocates counted 26 murders, including five in Florida, the highest number in any state.

While Florida's hate crime statute allows prosecutors to seek stiffer penalties when a crime is motivated by malice towards someone's "race, religion, ethnicity, colour, ancestry, sexual orientation, or national origin," gender identity, including transgender identity, is not protected under the state law. Advocates say that limitation can leave transgender people more vulnerable to violence.

"These victims are not numbers - they were people with hopes and plans, dreams for the future, loved ones and communities who will miss them every day," writes Matilda Young for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group.

"Anti-transgender stigma is exacerbated by callous or disrespectful treatment too often seen from media, law enforcement and our highest elected officials."

On September 6, the day Ms Slater was identified by the medical examiner, friends and supporters dressed in pink gathered on the grounds of an apartment complex in Pahokee.

They lit candles arranged to spell out "Bee Love." They sang together and held dozens of pink balloons shaped like hearts and stars.

People took turns telling stories about Ms Slater and remembering her life.

The crowd cheered for Slater as they let go of the balloons, which floated away into the night sky.

"I'm here and I'm going to speak and do whatever I have to do," Mr Vereen said. "Her name is going to live on."