By Crystal Proxmire
DETROIT – Detroit Police confirm that an arrest has been made in the murder of Michelle "Shelly" Moore, a transgender woman whose torso was found on the east side of Detroit near I-94 on Oct. 23. Moore was last seen at around 1 a.m. on the morning of the 23rd, when a cab driver she used frequently dropped her off at a house in Detroit where three men were waiting outside. Just minutes after, Moore called the driver again saying she felt uncomfortable and asking that he return. But the phone went dead mid-call and by the time he made it back to the house there was no sign of her.
Police investigated several leads in the case, including the possibility of a hate crime, which they dismissed early on after learning of Moore's involvement with prostitution and illegal drugs. According to Detroit Police, Moore had been living in Motel 6 in Madison Heights with another sex worker, and the women would leave on "out calls" to service customers.
About a week before Moore went missing, Madison Heights Police caught the women in their room smoking marijuana. Moore's companion was arrested and Moore was given the opportunity to avoid arrest by helping police arrest her drug dealer. Police say Moore called her drug dealer and asked him to deliver marijuana and other "harder drugs," and police arrested him en route to the motel.
"This murder was brutal. It seemed very personal," said Detective White of the Detroit Police Department. "It seemed like revenge, and it happened right after this drug bust." White and his team of detectives took every lead seriously, and worked for weeks to tie enough pieces together to arrest the suspect.
The suspect's name is not being revealed at this time, and charges are pending as White is still working with the Prosecutor's Office. White confirmed that the suspect is a known drug dealer, but declined to reveal the suspect's previous criminal record until charges are finalized.
Detectives are still considering the possibility of other arrests. "I think it took more than one person to do this, but we need more information and evidence before arrests can be made," he said.
"Now that this dangerous person is off the street, we hope people who have information will come forward."
Those with information can contact Detective White at (313) 920-2648.
