The Philadelphia Police Department has confirmed to PinkNews they are investigating the death of Alicia Simmons, a trans woman.

Simmons, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was found dead in her apartment on Sunday night.

According to trans activist Ashlee Preston there were no signs of “foul play”, she wrote on Facebook.

Nevertheless, trans activists remain weary around the cause of her death which, if proved to be malicious, would make Simmons the 22nd trans person killed in the US this year alone.

Local community leaders and investigators are scrambling to piece together what happened to Simmons.

Officers stated she was found in an apartment in the 4900 block of Walnut Street, in the northwestern Walnut Hill neighbourhood. A diverse patch of the city packed with coffeeshops and young professionals.

Preston added that Simmons was found “unresponsive in her bed with no signs of forced entry into her apartment” at 8:47pm.