A 25-year-old woman from Charlotte, North Carolina, died during a trip to Mexico with friends last month — but after a video showed her being beaten, her family is calling for justice and truth about the circumstances of her death.
Shanquella Robinson, who ran a popular hair braiding business and online boutique, was found dead in her hotel room on Oct. 29 while on vacation with friends in San José del Cabo. Local authorities said Wednesday they're continuing to investigate her death. The FBI in Charlotte confirmed to BuzzFeed News that they have been in contact with Robinson's family and are aware of the video circulating online.
Robinson's mother, Salamondra Robinson, told news outlets that initially, her daughter's friends said she had died of alcohol poisoning.
“[I] spoke with her Friday evening. She was having dinner, and I never spoke with her again,” Robinson's mother told WBTV. “On Saturday evening, they called and said she wasn’t feeling well and they were going to call a doctor. And when they called, the doctor hadn’t arrived yet, but they said she had alcohol poisoning.”
But according to the death certificate, Shanquella Robinson's death was caused by a severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation.
“They said she wasn't feeling well. She had alcohol poisoning,” her mother told WJZY. “They couldn't get a pulse. Each one of the people that was there with her was telling different stories.”
On Wednesday, prosecutors in Baja California Sur said they are continuing to collect evidence and investigate the circumstances around the death at the beach club villa.
In recent days, a video surfaced that appeared to show Robinson being beaten in a hotel room. Robinson is knocked to the ground as another person repeatedly hits her in the head. The person filming the video can be heard saying, "Can you at least fight back?"
People on social media soon called for justice for the 25-year-old woman.
For them to beat that girl like that and tell her to fight is just disgusting. Just broke my heart. This is why I put the phone down for days at a time. Tears. #shanquellarobinson
Justice for Shanquella Robinson 🙏🏿
That video of Shanquella Robinson is so disgusting and sad. Why continue to fight someone who doesn’t want to fight back? And let’s not get on the people watching. . This is exactly why I hate people. I hope she gets the justice she deserves.
The US Department of State confirmed her death to BuzzFeed News and the FBI Charlotte filed office confirmed it has opened an investigation into Robinson's death.
A GoFundMe for her family said they are devastated by Robinson's death and expect to face expenses related to her funeral and potential legal fees.
"We continue to fight for the truth."