SAPD: Person of interest in River Walk slaying of transgender woman in jail on other charges

Police said Tuesday that there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body of Kenne McFadden, who was found April 9 floating in the San Antonio River near the 100 block of North River Walk, but police later determined that "someone had caused his (sic) death." less Police said Tuesday that there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body of Kenne McFadden, who was found April 9 floating in the San Antonio River near the 100 block of North River Walk, but police later ... more Photo: Facebook Photo: Facebook Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close SAPD: Person of interest in River Walk slaying of transgender woman in jail on other charges 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A person of interest in the killing of a 26-year-old transgender woman in a popular area of the River Walk is currently behind bars on different charges, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Sgt. Jesse Salame, a spokesman for the department, said Tuesday that there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body of Kenneth "Kenne" McFadden, who was found April 9 floating in the San Antonio River near the 100 block of North River Walk, but police later determined that "someone had caused" her death.

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"There's a person of interest who's been interviewed, and it's just a matter of putting some more details together in the case," Salame said. "Police plan on arresting him or charging him at some point."

The person of interest, who has not officially been named a suspect and whose identity has not been released by police, is currently incarcerated on another charge.

Salame said the man was familiar with McFadden, though the nature of their relationship is unclear.

Police believe the killing took place somewhere in the River Walk area, and have a few theories on how a murder could've taken place in such a public space.

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"It's surprising because its one of the more popular areas of the River Walk," he said. "It's one of the first homicides in... I can't even remember the last one there."

According to her Facebook page, McFadden identified as a woman in the transgender community, and Salame confirmed she was in the process of transitioning. Police have no evidence at this point that her killing had anything to do with her gender identity or race, Salame said, though police are not ruling it out.

"If we determine that to be a contributing factor or motive, then we'll note that appropriately and inform the District Attorney's Office, which could potentially enhance the punishment [for this crime]."

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