‘Mom, I’m going to die’: Trans woman beaten and left to drown in river while crowd do nothing but film her final moments

Warning this article discusses potentially triggering topics involving violence against a trans woman, please proceed with caution.

Footage showing a woman by the name of Sara Millerey González trying to stay above the water of a river in Colombia has gone viral online due to the shocking backstory that accompanies the clip. 

What happened?

González, 32, was subjected to a brutal attack in which she was raped and had her arms and legs broken before being thrown into the river. It’s believed that the motive behind the attack was because Sara was a trans woman. She didn’t receive any help from anyone nearby as a whole crowd of people simply stood by and watched. 

Sara’s mother, Sandra, recounts the moment she arrived on the scene as she claims there was a “horde of people” who were recording her daughter’s final moments on their phones. The crowd of people were preventing anyone from doing anything to help, according to an article from Metro, one relative claimed that people were afraid to help for fear of being shot by these people.

“There were some guys standing there, also with their cell phones recording what was happening to her, and they said not to help her… So there was fear of intervening for fear of being shot. It was necessary for the police to intervene.”

Eventually she was pulled out of the water although she was suffering from hypothermia among her many other injuries. She briefly spoke with her mother, telling her, “Mom, I’m going to die,” and unfortunately she was right. González suffered two cardiac arrests and died in hospital the next day.

Public outcry after the attack

People who have seen the heartbreaking clip have reacted on social media platforms such as TikTok. Many are visibly upset and angry at the lack of basic humanity that some people have that would allow them to do such a horrific thing. This comes during a particularly volatile time in the U.S. as trans rights are being destroyed before our very eyes. 

In Colombia the reaction was equally as  upset and angry. The country’s president, Gustavo Petro, called the attack an act of “fascism.” The government has also offered a reward of 50 million pesos (about $11,600) for any information about González’s death. Meanwhile the mayor of Sara’s town wrote in a post to X, “She was the victim of an atrocious and hateful act.” Amnesty International drew attention to the case calling for Justice for Sara.

It’s believed that her attackers were locals with possible links to criminal gangs. That would explain why people were afraid to help. Regardless, we can only hope they are brought to justice soon.