COLUMBUS – The case of a missing Columbus woman is being compared with that of Gabby Petito as an example of how the disappearances of women of color in the United States are overlooked while cases of attractive white women attract national attention.
Police have been looking for Devin “Sacoya” Cooper, 33, since she went missing on Aug. 31 from the Linden area but the case has not been given a fraction of the local media attention as that granted to that of Petito, a blonde 22-year-old woman who vanished on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend and whose body was found last month in a national park in Wyoming.
According to an Instagram post, Cooper, described as transgender, was last seen at approximately 11:30 p.m. when she left home to go to the store in the area of Howey Road and Weldon Avenue.
Police describe her as 5’5″ tall, 145 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
The Instagram post says she has tattoos on her thighs and wears “lemonade braids draped to one side,” The post reports that she was wearing a black and white summer dress and black and white sandals.
Anyone with any information on her whereabouts is asked to call 614-645-2358.
The search for Petito and the subsequent manhunt for the suspect in her murder has drawn a frenzy of coverage and brought new attention to a phenomenon known as “missing white woman syndrome.”
Many advocates for missing people of color question why the public spotlight that is so important to finding people seems at times to attach more value to white people, and white women in particular.
Families of victims from Black, Indigenous, Asian American and other minority households say the burden falls on their shoulders to generate interest.
Unlike white families, they have to ensure investigations don’t lean into racism or stereotypes.
Petito’s family has implored the public and news media to put the same energy into helping find other missing people as they did their daughter.
As of Friday, authorities were still searching for Petito’s boyfriend, who is a person of interest in her disappearance and murder.