A North Carolina woman who died last month in Mexico is reportedly being investigated as a homicide after officials there initially claimed her death was alcohol-related.
The State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California Sur told ABC that Shanquella Robinson’s death is being investigated as a femicide — or when a woman is killed due to her gender. The office claimed they were contacted on October 29, the same day Robinson, 25, died at a rental villa in Fundadores Puerto Los Cabos.
Robinson went to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, with a group of six friends on October 28. The following day, one of the friends called Robinson’s mother and said a doctor is coming to the villa they were staying at.
According to reports, Robinson’s parents said Mexican authorities and her friends claimed her death was caused by alcohol poisoning. However, a death certificate lists her death as a severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation — suggesting her first vertebra became unattached from her skull.
The document also stated that Robinson was “found unconscious in her living room” and died 15 minutes after she was injured.
The woman’s parents — who contacted the FBI — also claimed that a video that showed Robinson being attacked in a hotel room has surfaced online. Officials have not confirmed the veracity of the video, including when and where it was taken.
During the video, someone is heard telling “Quella” to “at least fight back.”
The State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California Sur also told ABC that investigators are still collecting evidence. A spokesperson for the FBI’s field office in Charlotte, North Carolina, declined to comment on the case aside from confirming to ABC that it is investigating Robinson’s death.
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[Featured image: Shanquella Robinson/Instagram]
