PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland family is looking for closure after the death of Otis Gulley, a 31-year-old black transgender person who was found dead on Rocky Butte May 27.
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Otis' death a suicide, but Portland police are now asking for information and possible video evidence near the scene.
Otis' family said Otis was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and was living on the streets.
"He would say, 'Mom, I can't stay.' Then he would go back out there, and he was hanging around a crowd I was concerned about," Otis' mother Kenya Robinson said.
The family said the Medical Examiner's findings are hard to believe, and they think Otis was targeted for being a black transgender person.
"I know he did not commit suicide, no doubt about that," Robinson said.
Robinson and Crystal, Otis' sister, say investigators should have dug deeper into Otis' death, and feel as though officers wrote them off.
"Is it because he's gay, black and homeless that the police didn't want to deal with it? He's a human being. Everybody's life matters," Robinson said.
"I just want her to get the answers she needs and for them to treat her son like he was a human," Crystal said.
Portland police sent out a news release earlier this week about Otis' death, saying the Medical Examiner's Office is responsible for determining a manner and cause of death.
If you have any information about Otis' death, call detectives at (503) 823-0400.
And if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the Multnomah County Health Call Center 24 hours a day at 503-988-4888.
Editor's note: The pronouns he/him were used in quotes because that's what Otis' family used in interviews with KGW News.