LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Denver metro LGBTQ+ advocacy groups joined friends of Jax Gratton on Monday night to demand an independent oversight committee investigation into the Denver woman’s disappearance and death.
The community members are calling for an investigation without ties to the Lakewood Police Department, which they worry is mishandling the case. They also want that investigation to look into the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Last week, Denver7 obtained Gratton’s autopsy report, which lists her cause and manner of death as “undetermined” because of the body’s advanced stage of decomposition. Gratton was found in a narrow space between two buildings in Lakewood in June, two months after she was reported missing.
Read some of our previous coverage of Jax Gratton and the investigation into her death below:
- Autopsy for Denver hairstylist Jax Gratton lists cause, manner of death as undetermined
- 'We're going to keep showing up': Jax Gratton's friends ask for independent task force to look into her death
- Honoring Jax Gratton: Community gathers for 'beautiful human being who should still be here'
“I've known Jax for a long time,” said Z Williams, a friend of Gratton and advocate for her family, as well as co-director of Bread & Roses Legal Center. “We've been in the same community for decades, and so it's both my job as an advocate and also my duty as a friend to do this fight.”
Jack Jarrell Mori was one of those in attendance at Monday’s meeting.
“I didn't know Jax personally, but her story is definitely one that resonates deeply with me,” said Jarrell Mori. “Another member of the LGBTQ community, my brother, passed away. And going through that process, I see a lot of similarities in things that feel like injustice.”
Lakewood PD has called Gratton’s death “suspicious,” but her supporters feel the department has erred in the investigation, treatment of Gratton’s mother, and public release of information. They have criticized the department for deadnaming Gratton — using her previous name, which is considered offensive.
“We believe that this is largely in part to the fact that Jax is trans,” Williams told Denver7. “And so we want independent oversight to make sure someone is watching the police and the coroner and making sure that this investigation is treated the same way it would be if it was a cisgender person.”
Lakewood police told Denver7 last month that a community advisory group will be created in the fall, made up of community members and department members. Gratton’s supporters say the community needs to see a third-party, independent group looking into the case.
The autopsy report, which also uses Gratton’s previous name, said Gratton was found without shoes. Williams told Denver7 Gratton was also missing her glasses, phone and underwear.
“I think we're all very concerned that the information being presented to the public is not the full information available,” said Williams.
Meanwhile, the transgender community talked during public comment at Monday’s meeting about feeling extra barriers to justice and fear of being the targets of violence.
“There's a lot in today's political climate that pits people against each other, and especially pits a lot against LGBTQ individuals,” Jarrell Mori told Denver7.
“Saturday is Jax’s birthday; she would have been 35,” Williams added. “We're hoping that we can not only get justice for Jax, but for all trans women who are incredibly likely to be targeted by violence and also likely to just be discarded.”
Gratton’s mother, Cherilynne Gratton-Camis, sent Denver7 a statement Monday:
Jax Gratton was found dead outside the building where she was last known to be alive.
She was reported missing – not by the man she was with, and not by her roommate – but by her mother. Police knew where that man had taken her – but they never checked the alley outside. For 52 days, Jax lay there. Alone. Decomposing.
The coroner ruled her cause and manner of death undetermined – despite severe trauma, including a dislocated hyoid bone, fractured thyroid cartilage, and broken ribs.
Jax was found without her glasses, her phone or her shoes.
Jax’s toxicology results were based on liver tissue only, as no blood or urine was available due to the 52-day delay in recovering her body. The coroner’s own report warns these liver-only toxicology results are known to be artificially inflated and cannot be interpreted like standard post-mortem results. Jax had a prescription for Adderall, which can cause false positives for methamphetamine, making this almost certainly the cause of the positive result. There is no evidence that Jax used meth or that meth caused or contributed to her death. Anyone pretending otherwise is lying.
Jax was surrounded by men who had opportunities to act when she was in danger. They could have called for help. They could have raised the alarm. Instead, they did nothing – and she was left to die in an alley. That’s not just individual failure, it’s the product of a culture that treats trans women’s lives as less urgent, less valuable, less worth saving. As disposable.
Trans women are not disposable. This case screams for oversight. Jax deserved to be found. Jax deserved to be fought for. And her friends, her family, and her community will fight for her.
#JusticeForJax
Denver7 asked Lakewood PD for an interview on Monday. A spokesperson responded, "We will not be conducting any interviews. We appreciate you reaching out. Our detectives continue to work with this active investigation. To ensure that it is not compromised, we unfortunately cannot comment at this time."
Denver7 also reached out to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office for an interview, but has yet to hear back.
