Yoisi Villalta
4 Sep 2026
Tacuba, Ahuachapán (El Salvador)
Not reported
Yoisi sold cakes for a living and donated food to teams providing local sexual health services in the region. Her body was found eight days after she had gone missing.
SANTA ANA, El Salvador — The death of Yoisi Villalta, a trans woman and cake vendor in Texistepeque, Santa Ana Norte, has once again brought to the forefront a reality that has plagued the LGBTQ population in El Salvador for years: violence doesn't end with an attack or a death. It can also manifest itself in the way a person is searched for, named, registered, mourned, and remembered.
Villalta was reported missing by her family in late August 2026. Days later, news outlets and digital platforms reported the discovery of her body. A report published on September 5 indicates that the body was found in Tacuba, Ahuachapán, eight days after her disappearance, while the National Civil Police had not yet confirmed the cause of death or officially classified the case as intentional homicide.
Before becoming news, Villalta had a life. She was a trans woman who worked as a cake vendor in Texistepeque. From her business, she carried out a daily activity to earn a living, but she had also transformed that space into an expression of solidarity with her community.
According to information released by LGBTQ organizations, Villalta shared food with the sexual health brigades that conducted outreach in the area. This aspect of her life allows us to see her beyond the circumstances of her death: as a hardworking, compassionate woman deeply involved in community action.
The Salvadoran LGBTI Federation specifically requested that her memory be approached from that perspective. In the message released after her death, the organization called for her to be remembered for “her life, her work, her generosity, and above all, for her name,” and asked that her story not be reduced to sensationalism.
One of the aspects that has provoked the most outrage surrounding the case is the handling of Villalta's identity during the search. Organizations and people close to her have denounced that during the search process, the name that appears on her National Identity Document (DUI) was used, instead of the name by which Villalta lived and was socially recognized.
https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/09/08/mujer-trans-salvadorena-es-encuentra-sin-vida/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DdCwW9CSyVB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc6ds5RlgZ0/
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1077045458388886
