On December 27 19-year-old transgender girl Jai Bornstein from Bakersfield, CA left the family home intending to commit suicide. In her possession was her father's gun. She was transported to Hart Park by an Uber driver. The driver observed her walking directly toward the river. That was the last she was seen alive.

Her body was found in the park on New Year's Eve along the south bank of the Kern River. The manner of her death has not been disclosed.

The following video was made before the body was found:

Bornstein family friend and spokeperson Audrey Chavez said that Jai was a "smart, studious" girl who graduated from Bakersfield High School and attended Cal State Bakersfield.

She loved her family very much and they are all amazing individuals.

--Chavez

Chavez shared that the family is involved in causes that support youth, women, immigrants, and people with AIDS. Jai volunteered at Ricky's Retreat, a transitional house for people fighting HIV/AIDS.

Chavez read a statement by the family:

We want to thank all of you who have aided in our search for Jai and all of the love and support the community has given us. This week through our efforts to find Jai, we have shown what is possible when we all come together and respond as a community. Now, our family appeals to our friends, neighbors, and fellow community members to not allow Jai's death to be the end of the story.

Please think of Jai every time a family member or friend comes out as LGBTQ and/or gender non-conforming, when you hear the topic on the news, or when there is a ballot initiative about bathrooms. During conversations at the office or at the dinner table, remember that activism starts with dialogue. Remember how loving and passionate an activist Jai was. Remember how hard she worked to encourage people to hear the stories and needs of trans people. We can honor Jai by creating space for the LGBTQ and gender non-conforming youth in our lives, in our schools, in our homes and in our hearts.

Additionally, we want to recognize the complexity of Jai's person and her struggle as a Jew living in a place where where the majority of people belong to a different faith. To be different in a world where difference is often not embraced is a challenge that many of us may never truly understand, and all we can do is work to ease that struggle for others. Together we can make this world safer and softer for youth like Jai by treating everyone we meet with dignity and respect no matter how different they may appear.

With love and solidarity,

The Bornstein family

There is a GoFundMe site.