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Shanquella Robinson

Source: its.quella_ / Instagram

The world was shocked when Shanquella Robinson’s mysterious death made headlines in November. The 25-year-old died on Oct. 29 after she traveled to Cabo with several “friends,” but investigators have yet to release concrete details about the suspects involved in her tragic death. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Shanquella was a well know hair care entrepreneur in the community. She ran two businesses, Exquisite Babies, where she braided kids’ hair, and Exquisite Boutique, where she sold clothes.

“She had a kind heart,” her mother, Salamondra Robinson, previously told The Washington Post during an interview. “She loved life and loved people.”

Robinson’s family and close loved ones are still waiting to learn more details about the ongoing investigation. While speaking to The Independent on Dec. 1, Salamondra said she was still anxiously awaiting to hear an update from the FBI, who launched an investigation into Shaquella’s death in mid-November, but so far, the agency has been mum about their findings.

“I’m just trying to wait for somebody to be arrested. The FBI is not telling anything,” Salamondra explained.

As investigators continue to piece together evidence, here’s what we know so far about Shanquella’s mysterious death.

What happened to Shanquella Robinson?

Shanquella and six friends traveled to Cabo on October 28. The group reportedly stayed at the Villa Linda 32 in Puerto Los Cabos. However, conflicting reports say they vacationed at the Fundadores Beach Club in San José del Cabo. According to authorities, Shaquella died on October 29. When her travel mates called Salmondra to deliver the grim news, they initially told her that Shanquella died of alcohol poisoning. An autopsy performed by Mexican authorities later revealed that the young entrepreneur died from a “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation.”

During an interview with WJZY, Salamondra said she knew something wasn’t right when she received the autopsy report.

“When the autopsy came back, they said it didn’t have anything to do with the alcohol,” Salamondra explained. “[They] said that she had a broken neck and her spine in the back was cracked. She had been beaten.”

Shanquella’s mysterious death investigation took another twisted turn on November 15, when a viral video captured her being brutally punched and attacked by one of her female travel companions. In the video, the unidentified woman can be seen punching Shanquella several times, delivering powerful blows to her head, back, and neck. At one point during the attack, Shanquella falls to the floor and begins covering her face to protect herself.

Throughout the video, several people can be seen recording the vicious fight. One man repeatedly tells Shanquella, “Can you at least fight back?”

A conflicting police report says a doctor was with Shanquella in her final moments

A police report issued by Mexican authorities later claimed a doctor was with Shanqeulla and her “friends” at the Villa almost three hours before she was pronounced dead on Oct. 29. According to News One, the partial police report was provided to The Charlotte Observer by an investigative reporter for MetropoliMx, a news publication in Mexico. 

According to the report, medical aid arrived at the Villa at 2:13 p.m. on Oct. 29 to find Shanquella unconscious. Dr. Gutiérrez was with her during her final hours. In the report, Shanquella’s “friends” told Dr. Gutiérrez that she had “drunk a lot of alcohol.” He tried to give Shanquella an IV but was unsuccessful. Dr. Gutiérrez recommended that Shanquella be transferred to a hospital for further treatment, but her travel mates insisted that she be treated at the Villa.

The report stated that Shanquella suffered from a seizure during Gutiérrez’s house visit. “911 was called shortly after by one of the housemates. By this point, Shanquella Robinson was struggling to survive,” News One noted in the report. At 4:49 p.m., Gutierrez detected that Shanquella’s pulse had stopped. He quickly began giving her CPR, delivering over 14 rounds, five doses of adrenaline, and six discharges, but it was too late.

Shanquella Robinson was pronounced dead at 5:57 p.m., according to the report.

Where does the case stand?

Last week, Mexican authorities issued an arrest warrant for a suspect “likely responsible” for Shanquella’s death, but the suspect’s name has not been released. It’s still unclear whether any arrests have been made, NPR reported.

At the time of the announcement, Mexican prosecutor Daniel de la Rosa Anaya released a statement, noting that Shanquella’s death was being investigated as a “femicide,” a form of a gender-based hate crime.

“This case is fully clarified, we even have a court order, there is an arrest warrant issued for the crime of femicide to the detriment of the victim and against an alleged perpetrator, a friend of her who is the direct aggressor,” Daniel de la Rosa Anaya said. “Actually, it wasn’t a quarrel, but instead a direct aggression. We are carrying out all the pertinent procedures, such as the Interpol alert and the request for extradition to the United States of America. It’s about two Americans, the victim and the culprit.”

Local prosecutor Antonio López Rodríguez told The Washington Post that investigators believe Shanquella’s death was the “result of injuries inflicted by one of the travel companions.”

Shanquella’s mother and father are in shambles over the uncertainty around the investigation. Shockingly, some of the people that traveled to Cabo with Shanquella have since visited the family. “These people looked me in the face and told me there was no fight in Cabo,” Salamondra added to The Washington Post. “They’re on the run.”

Shanquella’s father, Bernard Robinson, is also desperate to find answers about his daughter’s tragic death. He told the publication that he has been “a wreck” throughout the slow investigation.

“There’s a whole lot of unanswered questions in my mind about her death,” he said while holding back tears. “I just want justice for my daughter.”

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Shanquella Robinson: Here’s What We Know So Far About The 25-Year-Old’s Mysterious Death  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com