Vigil honors Ryan “JJ” Godbey, calls for justice and LGBTQ+ protections

Community members gathered Tuesday night in Youngstown to honor Ryan “JJ” Godbey with music, dancing, and a candlelight vigil. The 26-year-old’s disappearance from Canton last month has since turned into a homicide investigation, and now, advocates say his story represents something even larger.

The vigil, organized by Full Spectrum Community Outreach, brought together friends, community members, and local LGBTQ+ advocates who say JJ’s death reflects a growing crisis of violence and discrimination across the country.

“It was inspired by the love of the family, stepping forward, trying to get answers, the community involvement in Canton,” said Katie Coriston, the event’s organizer. “So we had the perfect platform with Full Spectrum. So we started using everything we had.”

Ryan was last seen on June 19 at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Canton. Police say his partner, Daniel Mattay, has since been charged with murder, strangulation, domestic violence, and other offenses. Ryan’s body has not yet been located, but investigators say new evidence makes it clear he is deceased.

As candles were lit in Youngstown, so were calls for change.

GLAAD recently released a report tracking 932 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in the U.S. between May 2024 and May 2025. More than half specifically targeted transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. The organization recorded 84 injuries and 10 deaths — eight involving people of color.

Although Coriston hadn’t seen that specific report, she said it reflects what she hears regularly.

“I would not be surprised if that was severely underreported based on experiences and things that we hear in the community all the time,” she said. “Every week we hear of stories of people who have had domestic violence, of trying to escape that situation, trying to find housing, trying to get their life back after such experiences.”

Hannah Sinclair, one of Ryan’s childhood friends, spoke at the vigil and said the loss has left a hole in many lives.

“It doesn’t matter who you love, what you look like, you still deserve to be alive,” Sinclair said. “Ryan deserves to be here. This is somebody’s child. This is somebody’s friend.”

Sinclair said Ryan had a bold personality and a love for music. “We used to go to this tunnel in downtown Massillon, and he would just have me sing in the tunnel because he just wanted to hear the echo,” she said. “That’s who Ryan was. Ryan just wanted to be themselves.”

Organizers say they will continue to spread Ryan’s story and advocate for stronger protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.

“We just want Ryan home,” Coriston said. “There’s so many of us across the Mahoning Valley, across Northeast Ohio, across the United States, and the family deserves answers.”