Fort Bliss soldier arrested in death of transgender woman
El Paso police arrested a Fort Bliss soldier in connection with the death of a transgender woman in August.
A neighbor found 36-year-old Erykah Tijerina dead inside an apartment about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 8 on the 200 block of Lisbon Street.
Police arrested 21-year-old Spc. Anthony Michael Bowden of Fort Bliss. He was charged with murder. Police said forensic evidence led police to Bowden, who was arrested after being interviewed.
Police have not revealed a cause of death. In the days following her death, police said they were waiting for the Medical Examiner to say what killed Tijerina, whose body was found inside a unit of the Rio Grande Community housing complex in South-Central El Paso.
The Medical Examiner’s Officer told ABC-7 the autopsy report is not ready yet because it’s pending a signature. But it should be ready by the end of the week.
Bowden was booked into the El Paso County Jail with bond set at $750,000.
Bowden is a Patriot Launching Station crewman. He is assigned to Fort Bliss’ 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, which is part of the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade of the 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command. He has been assigned to Fort Bliss since January 2014 and has been with his current unit since July.
