MUS-2026-0394
Archive card
MUS-2026-0394
Homicide
- Incident
- 1997
- Indexed
- Oct 22, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- NYPD
- Location
- Harlem NY
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Ali Forney, 22, a gender non-conforming youth and advocate for homeless LGBT youth, was found shot on a Harlem sidewalk on December 5, 1997. It was the third killing of a young transgender sex worker in the area within months. No one was ever charged. The Ali Forney Center shelter network was later founded in their memory, and the case has a Wikipedia page and a listing in the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- 1997
Ali Forney, 22, is found shot on a Harlem sidewalk on December 5, the third young transgender sex worker killed in the area within months.
- 2026
No one has ever been charged. The case remains unsolved.
Key people
The people in the file.
22, gender non-conforming youth and advocate for homeless LGBT youth. Found shot on a Harlem sidewalk on December 5, 1997.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the NYPD. If you know something, say something to them. For public-record leads for our researchers, use the tip line on any open file.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
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