An attorney who is representing the family of a North Carolina woman who died last year in Mexico said this week that U.S. officials are not letting them see case files — including an autopsy report which stated that she did not suffer any spinal injuries.
Lawyer Sue-Ann Robinson, who is not related to Shanquella Robinson, told The Sun that FBI officials told them the case is still open despite the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announcing last month that they would not be pursuing criminal charges due to a lack of evidence. Shanquella’s secondary autopsy — which the FBI ordered a month after her death in October 2022 — was performed by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
According to the lawyer, the FBI said, “We cannot release the documents [autopsy results] to you because the case is still open, because we are waiting for documents to be translated to English that we received from the Mexican authorities.”
Though Mexican officials initially attributed Shanquella’s death to alcohol poisoning, a death certificate issued there listed her death as a severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation — suggesting her first vertebra became unattached from her skull. The report does not mention alcohol.
However, U.S. forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Owens found no spinal cord injuries and listed her death as undetermined. Owens speculated that Mexico’s autopsy yielded different findings because Shnaqulla’s spine was not properly inspected or completely visualized.
However, Shanquella’s family believes U.S. and Mexican officials produced two different autopsy results because the U.S. conducted their autopsy after Shanquella was embalmed.
Meanwhile, the FBI told The Sun that Shanquella’s autopsy report can be accessed at this time. Shanquella’s family has not responded to the FBI’s latest comment, so it is unclear what other documents they claim are inaccessible.
After Shanquella’s death, a video surfaced online which apparently shows her being attacked in a hotel room. During the video, someone is heard telling “Quella” to “at least fight back.”
In an 18-page information packet given to U.S. officials in March, Mexican authorities reportedly identified Daejhanae Jackson as the “perpetrator” and issued a warrant for her arrest. Jackson was one of the six people who traveled to Mexico with Shanquella.
Jackson allegedly texted the concierge about a doctor and where nearby medical services were located as her friend had alcohol poisoning. Jackson ultimately agreed to have a doctor come to their room.
The doctor eventually arrived and gave Shanquella an I.V. bag. An hour later, she suffered convulsions and died.
The concierge told investigators that Shanquella was said not to be in serious condition but was unconscious and required an I.V. At some point, Jackson allegedly texted him about taking Shanquella to the hospital — though he learned the group discussed whether they had the insurance to cover a hospital trip.
According to reports, an administrator at the villas told police in November that he believed Jackson is the woman seen beating Shanquella in the video circulating on social media.
Though Mexican officials issued a warrant for Jackson’s arrest, U.S. officials said she is not a suspect following an FBI investigation.
It remains unclear if the U.S. will handle or honor the pending extradition request by Mexico. The Department of Justice and Department of State’s stance on extradition is also unknown.
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[Featured image: Instagram]
