Taya Ashton was 20 when she was found fatally shot in her Suitland, Maryland, apartment on July 17, 2021. There were no signs of forced entry, and investigators focused on someone she likely knew. Phone records placed her in contact with DeAllen Davonta Price of Capitol Heights on the night she was killed, and authorities say the two had been in an intimate relationship for about three months.

Price was arrested the day after the killing in Arlington, Virginia, on an unrelated robbery charge; a weapon recovered at the time was later linked to Ashton’s murder. Prosecutors say Price admitted he was with Ashton that night and that he shot her after learning she was a transgender woman. In October he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and to use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and in January 2024 he was sentenced to 60 years, with all but 48 years suspended, followed by five years of probation after release.

If anyone knew Taya or has information about her last days or the relationship involved, please share what can help complete the record.