Vigil held for murdered Iowa resident

Residents from around Omaha and neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa, gathered at a vigil Friday night in Omaha to honor Selena Alvarez-Hernandez, a transgendered Council Bluffs resident who was found murdered on July 31, the Des Moines Register reports. Alvarez-Hernandez, 32, was found stabbed multiple times in the chest, abdomen, and arms outside an apartment complex. Police have made no arrests in the case and say there is no evidence to suggest it is a hate crime. "Our primary reason [for holding the vigil] was to remember Selena's life and death," said the Reverend Barbara Sagat of the Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha. "This vigil is a call for tolerance. It's a scary time for people in our community."