City officials are reeling after a member of D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ cabinet was found dead in her home. Wanda Alston had served as advisor to the mayor as director of the D.C. Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs. She is pictured to the right in a photo from the Washington Blade printed in a story from last July about the selection of a new head for the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration. The AP is reporting police have deemed the death an “apparent homicide,” and many members of city government personally responded:
DC Police Chief Charles Ramsey personally responded to the scene, as well as several high-ranking city officials, including City Administrator Robert Bobb and school board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz.
Ramsey says the victim’s roommate arrived at their home shortly after 6 p.m. to find a woman lying face down in a bloody crime scene. Ramsey said it’s too early to discuss a motive. He said there were no sign of forced entry.
Police said they are looking for Alston’s car, a gray 2000 Nissan Sentra, with DC tag number A-2-9 5-9-7.
Before joining the Williams administration in 2001, Alston worked for the National Organization for Women, the Human Rights Campaign, and as co-chair of the D.C. Coalition of Black Lesbians, Gay Men & Bisexuals, as well as for a consulting firm she founded. Last September Mayor Williams appointed Alston to head the newly created cabinet-level Office of LGBT Affairs. Alston discussed her plans for the new office with the Metro Weekly newspaper in September, where her leadership was lauded by the mayor and area LGBT community leaders. In a short story about her death the Post reports Alston had been engaged in planning the city’s first GLBT summit, scheduled for April 30.
