30th Tacoma Homicide of 2021
Syretta Brown
Syretta Brown’s laugh sounded like a little chipmunk. At 35 years old with two young sons, her laugh still sounded high and tiny. And it could be infectious. She was a free spirit with a great sense of humor. And like many free spirits her urges took her all sorts of good and bad places. She was in the Army briefly. She went to Clover Park Technical College. She worked various jobs, none of them seeming quite right. She struggled with drugs and mental health issues. The last time her parents had seen Syretta was Thanksgiving 2020. Twelve days before Thanksgiving 2021, on November 13th, Syretta Brown’s decomposed body was found in a tent near a homeless encampment behind the fire station at East 38th and McKinley Avenue. She had stab wounds and broken jaw. They estimate that she had been dead for 4-6 weeks.
The delay in finding her body resulted in a delay in the Medical Examiner being able to determine the cause of death. It wasn’t until February of 2022 that Syretta’s death was ruled a homicide. Becoming Tacoma’s thirtieth Tacoma homicide of 2021.
In December of 2022 a man was charged with the murder of Syretta Brown. The man was already in custody for his killing of Diego Escalante in September of 2021. In both cases his motive was a hatred for homeless individuals.
All too often we ignore the homeless population or worse, blame them for their circumstances when the fact remains it is blind luck that you and I are not among them. We’ve been lucky enough not to have enough bad things happen. For now.
Syretta’s two young sons are going to grow up without a mother. Ina Smith had been best friends with Syretta since seventh grade. They were two peas in a pod, as close as sisters. Her best friend is gone forever. Contrary to popular belief grief doesn’t go away. People don’t get over the deaths of loved ones. They get used to the grief.
Time fades memories, but I’m willing to bet everyone who heard Syretta’s chipmunk laugh can hear it in their heads right now.
As always the comment section is reserved for those who knew Syretta and would like to share thoughts or memories of her.
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- Jack Cameron