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The Disappearance of Kimberly Avila

Updated October 7, 2022; Posted October 7, 2022


Kimberly Avila Disappeared

Name: Ramiro Avila Jr aka Kimberly Avila
Nickname: Kimberly or Junior
Age: 32 years old
Last seen: May 13, 2017
Location: Brownsville, Texas
Status: Still Missing

Case Information

32-year-old Kimberly Avila was last seen in Brownsville, Texas on May 13, 2017. She disappeared after being dropped off by her sister on East Washington Street.

Background

Kimberly Avila, born Ramiro Avila Jr, was known as a genderfluid trans person. She is described as an upbeat person who was friendly with everyone.

At the time of her disappearance, Avila was known to frequent bars in the downtown area of Brownsville as a sex worker but she always returned home at the end of the night.

Disappearance

On May 13, 2017, Avila was dropped off by her sister in the 1200 block of East Washington Street in Brownsville, Texas at 2:40 a.m.

Avila never returned home and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Her family filed a missing person’s report with the Brownsville Police Department when they couldn’t contact her

Investigation

Her family believes that as a transgender woman and sex worker, Avila had an increased risk of harm through violence.

In 2019, the city of Brownsville established the LGBTQ+ Task Force to address concerns about the increased discrimination and harassment impacting the LGBTQ community in Brownsville, including Avila’s disappearance.

In 2019, during a two year anniversary prayer vigil for Kimberly, Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz took to the podium and said he had “just interviewed a suspect who may have been responsible for her death.” According to Kimberly’s family he walked away without answering any further questions. To this day he has not offered an explanation as to why he made that comment.

Whereabouts

Police found no evidence, means, or motive for foul play in Kimberly Avila’s disappearance. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the discovery of Kimberly.

The circumstances of Kimberly Avila’s disappearance remain unclear and her case is currently classified as missing. Her case remains unsolved.

Appearance

Kimberly Avila Disappeared

Physical Description:
Hispanic/Latino transgender female with brown hair and hazel eyes. Kimberly is 5′ 8″ – 6′ 0″ tall and weighs 200 – 220 pounds.

Distinctive Physical Features:
Kimberly was wearing gray contact lenses when she went missing.

Clothing and accessories:
Kimberly was last seen wearing a black wig, a black short sleeve dressy blouse, a black skirt and high heel stiletto shoes.

Investigating Agency

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Kimberly Avila please contact the Brownsville Police Department at (956) 548-7000, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office at (956) 383-8114, or Brownsville Crime Stoppers at (956) 546 TIPS (8477).

Resources & Further Information

Ramiro JR Avila #MP39128 – National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Missing Person: Ramiro Avila Jr Aka “Kimberly” – Brownsville Police Department
Find Kimberly Avila – Family Website

News & Media Links

Uncertainty taking toll on family of missing Brownsville resident – AP News 12/2018
‘Please come forward’: Brownsville LGBTQ+ Task Force seeks information in missing transgender woman case – KRGV 05/2021
‘Where is Kimberly Avila?’: Four years later, family continues to look for answers – Valley Central 05/2021

Related posts


Filed Under: Still Missing Tagged With: 2017, Still Missing, Texas

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wayne Van der Schaaff says

    November 7, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    I am not very technically inclined , however if somebody takes photographs with one ‘ s cell – phone they would need to have a sim – card / ” chip ” inside in order to down load at a later stage .
    Did Kim ever show her family members the photos she had taken , or unwittingly to anyone else , who was the wrong person , and had to get hold of the phone in order not to be exposed , and is still possibly living in the community ? .
    Does the family have any details of the cell – phone in order that it might be able to be traced , a long shot but another avenue to be looked at , from maybe a more technical aspect ? .
    Regards.
    Wayne.

    Reply
    • Jude1968 says

      February 10, 2023 at 7:15 pm

      Not sure the local police really investigated at first.
      She had 3 strikes against her Hispanic, trans and a sex worker
      Short story. A Hispanic friends brother was killed by hit and run in Brownsville. The locals said to a family member he was probably hit by truck load of wet backs, not knowing he was Hispanic. Says a lot about cops attitude.
      Hope they family gets needed answers.

      Reply

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