District of Columbia
Newly processed DNA evidence surfaces in 1987 D.C. lesbian murder
Police seek help from public in identifying male suspect in killings of two women
Using updated DNA testing technology, D.C. police lab technicians recently developed a full DNA profile of an unidentified male suspect from tissue samples taken from the scene of the May 1987 murder of a lesbian whose body was found in the Capitol Hill apartment of her girlfriend.
Police said the victim, Greta Denise Rainey, 35, had been raped and strangled.
Channel 4 News reporter Paul Wagner, who broke the news about the DNA findings in a story broadcast last week, reported that D.C. police confirmed that the DNA samples obtained from the scene of Rainey’s murder matched those obtained at the scene of the October 1985 murder of another woman in an apartment on the same floor in the same building where Rainey was murdered at 610 3rd St., S.E.
The second victim, Florence Eyssalenne, 23, was also raped and strangled, police said at the time her body was found in her apartment.
Wagner of Channel 4 News reported that the samples were obtained with a swab that was part of a rape kit used to investigate the two murders. But for unknown reasons police never tested the samples for DNA until just recently, possibly because DNA testing techniques were less advanced at the time of the two murders.
The Washington Blade reported in an Aug. 28, 1987, story that D.C. police initially arrested Rainey’s girlfriend, Roxanne Johnson, 32, on a charge of second-degree murder for Rainey’s death two days after Rainey’s body was found in Johnson’s apartment on May 13, 1987.
The Blade story reported that four months later, prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. dropped the murder charge against Johnson without disclosing a reason for doing so. Johnson at the time contacted the Blade to say the charge was dropped “because I didn’t do it.” She said her arrest on what she called a false charge had a devastating impact on her life.
Among other things she said her landlord pressured her into moving out of her apartment on grounds that her presence was alarming the other tenants.
D.C. police at the time declined to disclose what, if any, evidence they had to charge Johnson with the murder of the person Johnson called her lover. Johnson told the Blade she left her apartment to go to work and had no idea how someone gained access to the apartment to commit the murder. Police sources have said there were no signs of a forced entry into either of the two apartments where Rainey and Eyssalenne were murdered.
The Blade’s attempts this week to locate Johnson for comment were unsuccessful.
Wagner reported in his Channel 4 News broadcast that D.C. police now believe the same unidentified male suspect killed both women and was familiar with the building or the neighborhood.
“Essentially, the identity of this person is still unknown to us, however, we can say the individual is a male,” D.C. police homicide division Capt. Kevin Kentish told Channel 4 News. “We believe him to be of African-American descent,” Kentish said in an interview with the TV news station.
“Everything is on the table,” he continued. “Right now, detectives are still doing the legwork, hoping to get more leads,” he said. “Hopefully, somebody calls in and gives us a lead that we can examine, but we’re also going the genealogy route and that may take a little longer, so we don’t want to put all our eggs in that one basket.”
Kentish was referring to home genealogy kits widely used by people seeking to learn more about their ancestry. The kits require people using them to send a saliva sample to the company that sells the kits. After performing DNA related tests on the saliva sample, the company sends the results back to the consumer who purchases the kits.
It’s been reported that law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, routinely obtain DNA profiles from some of these companies and that the profiles are kept in a DNA data bank used in criminal investigations.
D.C. police are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murders of Gretta Rainey and Florence Eyssalenne. Anyone with information about one or both of the two cases is asked to contact police at 202-727-9099.
District of Columbia
Campaign launched to elect more LGBTQ candidates to ANC seats
Capital Stonewall Democrats behind Queering ANCs effort
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, announced on July 7 it has launched a campaign to help elect large numbers of LGBTQ candidates to the city’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
The D.C. local government is believed to be unique among U.S. cities in currently having 46 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions consisting of 345 single-member districts in neighborhoods throughout the city in which unpaid Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners are elected for two-year terms.
The commissions are charged with considering a wide range of policies and programs impacting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection, and D.C.’s annual budget, according to the ANC website.
Although the ANCs do not have authority to set or reject policies or proposals, such as applications for liquor licenses, city agencies are required to give “great weight” to ANC recommendations, according to the law creating the ANCs.
Kent Boese, a gay former ANC commissioner, currently serves as executive director of the D.C. Office of ANCs.
“We are launching the most ambitious hyperlocal LGBTQ+ candidate pipeline initiative in the country,” said Stevie McCarty, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, in a July 7 statement that announced the Queering ANCs campaign.
“As an ANC member, I know firsthand how these seats shape our neighborhoods, from housing and public safety to sanitation,” McCarty says in the statement. “I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure more LGBTQ+ Washingtonians see themselves as leaders in their communities,” he said.
The ANC Rainbow Caucus, which was created by LGBTQ ANC members, shows on its website that there are currently 38 caucus members consisting of elected LGBTQ ANC commissioners serving in the current 2025-2026 two-year term.
The website shows there are LGBTQ commissioners who are caucus members in each of the city’s eight wards, with six in Ward 1, eight in Ward 2, one in Ward 3, six in Ward 4, five in Ward 5, three in Ward 6, eight in Ward 7, and one in Ward 8.
The Washington Blade couldn’t immediately determine how many of them will be running for re-election in D.C.’s general election in November. But McCarty said Capital Stonewall Democrats hopes to recruit many more LGBTQ candidates to run for ANC seats.
The D.C. Board of Elections website shows the deadline for filing 25 required petition signatures to be placed on the ballot is Aug. 5.
A Queering ANCs website launched this week by Capital Stonewall Democrats provides details on how to run for an ANC seat and offers help for those interested in running.
“Think of someone in your building, neighborhood, friend group, community organization, or professional network who cares deeply about D.C. and would make a strong leader,” McCarty says in his statement. “Send them QueeringANCs.org and personally ask them to consider running,” he said.
The website can be accessed at QueeringANCs.org.
District of Columbia
Mary’s House founder, CEO retires
Dr. Imani Woody played leading role in opening DC’s first home for LGBTQ seniors
The board of directors for Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC’s first official home dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, announced on July 7 that its founding president and CEO, Dr. Imani Woody, has retired.
Woody, who holds a PhD in Human Services, is credited with playing a leading role over many years in arranging both city and private funding needed to construct and operate the Mary’s House three-story building located at 401 Anacostia Road, S.E., in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood.
The house, which opened in March 2025, with a grand opening ceremony held in May 2025, includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
“It is with profound gratitude and hearts full of celebration that the board of directors of Mary’s House for Older Adults, DC (MHFOA) announces the retirement of our visionary founder, Dr. Imani Woody, from her role as president and CEO,” the Mary’s House board says in a statement.
“Dr. Woody’s journey with Mary’s House began with her vision and a kitchen table gathering of women with a bold, urgent, and loving vision: to create safe, affirming, affordable housing for LGBTQ/SGL older adults in Washington, DC,” the statement says.
It adds, “What started as a dream has grown into DC’s first affordable LGBTQ+/SGL affirming communal living space for adults 60 and over, a 15-room community residence at 401 Anacostia Road in Southeast Washington.”
The statement says Woody will continue to serve on Mary’s House board.
“The board will be sharing information about the leadership transition process in the coming weeks,” the statement continues. “We are committed to honoring Dr. Woody’s legacy by ensuring Mary’s House continues to thrive and grow in faithful service to LGBTQ/SGL elders experiencing housing insecurity and isolation.”
District of Columbia
SMYAL receives $25,000 award for ‘courageous acts’
D.C. group provides support services for LGBTQ youth
The D.C.-based organization SMYAL, which provides services for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. metro area, including housing for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced on June 30 that it received a $25,000 award for its “courageous acts” in support of the community it serves.
The award was a monetary grant from The Courage Project, which describes itself as a “national initiative investing in acts of courage and compassion that strengthens our communities and democracy.”
A statement on its website says it was launched in May 2025 and is funded and backed by leading national foundations in the U.S.
“At SMYAL, we are deeply grateful to receive support from The Courage Project and are inspired by their bold investment in LGBTQ+ youth at such a critical moment,” SMYAL CEO Erin Whelan said in a statement. “For queer and trans young people, simply showing up as themselves each day requires immense courage, and that courage is strengthened when organizations like The Courage Project stand behind them loudly, proudly, and without hesitation,” Whelan said.
In its statement announcing the award SMYAL says The Courage Project will recognize SMYAL and other awardees and their work on July 3 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a special interfaith service marking the U.S. 250th anniversary.
“The Courage Project is a bold initiative honoring everyday acts of bravery – the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level,” the project states on its website.
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