Two New York City women were murdered within one week of each other. One received widespread media attention, while the other’s name barely scratched the web.
Karina Vetrano, 30, was brutally beaten, raped and strangled on Tuesday, Aug. 2 after taking to a local Queens park for a jog. A quick Google search will point to an array of sources that have since reported details on her death, and the search for her killer that has ensued. Meanwhile, Maylin Reynoso’s name fails to garner a fraction of the buzz that Vetrano has received.
Have you heard about #MaylinReynoso ? pic.twitter.com/yYJ2NInpOK
— alexia (@imnotaIexia) August 18, 2016
The 20-year-old Bronx resident was last seen leaving her job on Wednesday, July 27 before her body was discovered floating in the Harlem River approximately a week later. Finding details surrounding the disappearance and subsequent death of the young Latina of Dominican descent is unjustifiably an elusive undertaking.
The Odyssey Online contributor Katelynn Mauro points to the discrepancy between two women who are both worthy of receiving media attention in the wake of their tragic passings but who undeniably fall on opposite sides of the favorability spectrum. “For Maylin there was no amber alert, no outcry for her search and rescue and she was missing a week,” she begins, pointing to the invisibility blanket that smothers the stories of women of color like Reynoso.
“Where is the reward for information about Maylin’s death? Where is the public outcry of rage and sympathy?” she continues. “We cannot let the stories of WOC disappear into the void of silence and apathy. We need to protect women and we need to question the racist system controllers and demand a change.”
As Reynoso’s family raises money for their loved one’s funeral expenses, the online community has joined Mauro in expressing their outrage regarding how her story has been treated in the public eye.
I wanted to know more about #MaylinReynoso. When I Googled her, all that came up was Karina Vetrano.
— Aisha Alexander (@AishaThinker) August 13, 2016
Why is it when a young black woman or a young latina goes missing, their first thought is that ‘they ran away’ #MaylinReynoso
— alexia (@imnotaIexia) August 18, 2016
Damn yo I can’t believe young Black/POC girls are just being disposed of in NYC with NO coverage #MaylinReynoso.
— AngelOfTheLord + etc (@TwoFoolsAMinute) August 11, 2016
media needs to put coverage on the abductions of black & latina girls/women instead of letting it go unnoticed #MaylinReynoso
— micha (@michamadonna) August 20, 2016
#maylinreynoso because missing white women syndrome needs to stop. WOC go missing and no one bats an eye. WW goes missing and it’s WW2.
— Bonita Applebomb (@BUSCEMIFANCLUB) August 21, 2016
I’m sorry #MaylinReynoso. I’m sorry that no one seemed to care. 💔😔
— H.E.R. (@yasiinbae_) August 21, 2016