Jax Gratton, a transgender woman who was reported missing in April, was found dead at the age of 34, her mother, Cherilynne Gratton-Camis, revealed in a Facebook post on Saturday (June 7).
"With a broken heart, I share the news that our beloved Jax Gratton has been found — and she is no longer with us. There are no words strong enough for the grief we are feeling. The light she carried, the love she gave so freely, and the joy she brought into our lives have been taken from this world far too soon.
"I want to thank everyone — near and far — who has shown up for us. Everyone who shared her story. Everyone who shared her face. Everyone who sent out a prayer, a hope, a kind thought. Everyone who hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped.
"You have brought so much light into our lives during the darkest time. Your words, your support, your strength — they’ve helped keep us going. You’ve reminded us that we can’t give up, and we won’t, not until she was found. Now, we grieve together."
Gratton-Camis acknowledged that her daughter helped her understand the plight of the LGBTQIA+ community "in ways I can't ignore."
“It’s not just about Jax — it’s about all of you in the LGBTQIA+ community who face the world every day with courage, just wanting to live, love and exist safely and equally. That should never be a fight. And yet it is,” she wrote in the post.
“Jax Gratton was a light — I know that. She lit up so many lives just by being herself. Unapologetically. Fiercely. Fully. I see her in every act of love and strength you’ve shown, and I wish peace, love, and protection for all of you.”
The Lakewood Police Department later confirmed that Gratton's body was located on Friday (June 6) via the New York Post. The Denver hairstylist was last seen leaving her apartment at around 10:00 p.m. on April 15, having told her roommate she'd only be gone for about three hours, her family had previously told KMGH-TV.
“My fear is that somebody killed her,” Gratton-Camis told PEOPLE following her daughter's disappearance, claiming Jax had previously been in abusive relationships.