MALIBU—A body that was found in Malibu on Thursday, December 1, has been identified by her next of kin, as Day Rodas.
Rodas, 27, was found on 33000 block of Mulholland near Decker Canyon by a passerby at around 7:45 a.m. The roads in the surrounding area were closed for about five hours as police searched for evidence.
The Rodas family said they were unsettled by her death since at the time, the cause of death was still unknown. The Los Angles County Sheriff’s Department indicated there were no apparent signs of trauma and there was no immediate threat to the community.
On Tuesday, December 6, the medical examiner responsible for the case indicated that she died of a drug overdose. They did not specify the type of narcotic suspected and the investigation is ongoing.
Rodas, who lived with her family, was reported missing after she suddenly stopped responding to texts and missed work. She was missing for a total of 2 days. “Her boss from work called saying she didn’t show up to work so we knew something was wrong,” the Rodas family stated. Later in the investigation it was reported that Rodas’ phone was found at another Malibu location and her car was found in downtown Los Angeles.
Rodas was described as “pure and kind” by her family and was an advocate for LGBTQ rights. She played the guitar and was a part of a popular San Fernando Valley band.
On her GoFundMe page, set up to help pay for her funeral, her family wrote:
“After being afraid for 27 years, she only got to live freely without fear for only six months which breaks our hearts. She recently started living her life authentically as she came out to friends and family about being a trans woman. She had so much love for family and friends and she saw the good in everyone. Despite some people treating her with disrespect because she finally started being who she truly was she never disrespected anyone.”
The GoFundMe was first created three days ago has raised up to $20,570 exceeding their goal by $10,000.
