Update: The father of a Charlotte woman found dead in Mexico appears to reiterate internet rumors that his daughter’s death was a ‘plot’ against her life. His words further add fuel to the tangle web of Information trickling in from friends, families, law enforcement and internet sleuths all hoping to help officials get closer to determining exactly what happened to Shanquella Robinson in Mexico.
Shanquella Robinson Update – FBI field office in Charlotte will launch investigation into her death. (Credit: Shanquella Robinson Instagram)
Bernard Robinson Believes His Daughter Shanquella Robinson Was Set Up
In an emotional interview with TMZ posted the same day of Shanquella Robinson’s funeral, Bernard Robinson wanted the narrative to be clear. There was “no physical altercation,” they “attacked her,” he said, adding that his daughter is not the fighting type as displayed by her unwillingness to fight back while being attacked by an unnamed woman.
“It just seems like that was a plot, because they couldn’t have done that here where all her friends are. It wouldn’t have went down like that,” said the grieving father.
Reflecting on the moments he will miss with his daughter with emotions pouring over, Bernard added, “They put a hole in my heart. That was my only child. I can’t even be a granddaddy, can’t even walk her down the aisle … can’t even hear her say “daddy.”
Robinson’s celebration of life was held on Saturday afternoon with hundreds of people in attendance. Her pink and yellow casket was transported by a horse-drawn carriage into Macedonia Baptist Church.
A longtime family friend told local reporters at the funeral that Shanquella Robinson was daddy’s little girl.
“Sometimes a daughter can do no wrong in their daddy’s eyes. She was the twinkle of his eye and he loved her to death.”
Justice for Bernard looks like those responsible paying for their crimes in Mexico. “They get charged for it and they go back over there and do the time because that’s where they do the crime.”
Brooklyn Nets Star Kyrie Irving Donates to GoFundMe
Kyrie Irving gave the family’s GoFundMe a mega boost when he donated a total of $65,000. The goal was initially set to under $50,000 to help with the “unexpected financial burden … legal fees and other critical expenses,” but has since increased to $350,000. The family is just shy of $5,000 to reach that goal as donations continue to come by the minute with many others donating thousands at a time. Former Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker contributed $20,000 to the fund.
FBI Launches Investigation
Many on social media are relentless in their call for justice, utilizing hashtags such as #JusticeforShanquella and others, keeping the story top of mind. Now the FBI and state attorney generals office are joining the investigation into Robinson’s death. Suspicion is rooted in the initial declaration she died from alcohol poisoning while the Mexican autopsy states she died of a spinal cord injury and damage to her neck vertebrae.
Robinson’s autopsy and death certificate assessed she died within 15 minutes of being injured, and in a box that asked if the death was “accidental or violent” the answer “yes” was checked off.
The State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California Sur publicly confirmed the findings of the autopsy and based on other evidence announced on Thursday, Nov. 17, they will investigate her death as murder. Authorities returned to the location of her death and are collecting “more evidence to achieve the accurate clarification of the events, without ruling out any hypothesis.”
From the State Attorney General’s Office of Baja California Sur (PGJE):
“The PGJE maintains the lines of investigations to collect more evidence to achieve the accurate clarification of the events, without ruling out any hypothesis.” #shanquellarobinson
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) November 17, 2022
The FBI Charlotte Division is currently in contact with the Robinson family and working across agencies to investigate what seems to be a murder, WSOC-TV reports.
A spokesperson for the FBI Charlotte also revealed in a written statement, “The FBI Charlotte Field Office has opened an investigation in the death of Charlotte resident, Shanquella Robinson in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on or about October 29, 2022.”
NEW from the FBI:
“The FBI Charlotte Field Office has opened an investigation in the death of Charlotte resident, Shanquella Robinson in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on or about October 29, 2022. Due to the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment.” pic.twitter.com/QL6XG7NdaG
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) November 18, 2022
Shanquella Robinson’s Mother and Father Want Answers
Robinson’s parents are working to figure out the truth, piecing together bits of the story and working with the FBI for justice.
“It’s like a nightmare. I can’t even sleep,” Robinson’s father told WSOC-TV earlier this week. “I just want some truth because this doesn’t add up right.”
Salamondra Robinson, Shanquella’s mother added to Queen City News, “I probably won’t be at ease until someone’s arrested.”
On Friday, Oct. 28, Shanquella Robinson left Charlotte, North Carolina, for a friend’s birthday celebration at the Fundadores Beach Club in San José del Cabo in Mexico. The trip was supposed to be a long weekend, but within 24 hours of her arriving in the resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, the 25-year-old was discovered dead.
Official government documents, dated Nov. 4, note the young woman was found unconscious in the living room of a residence on Padre Kino Avenue in San Jose del Cabo on Saturday afternoon.
Shanquella’s Death Certificate
Salamondra Robinson was notified by people on the trip on Saturday, Oct. 29, saying her daughter was unconscious and suffering from alcohol poisoning. However, a death certificate produced by the Mexican government listed the cause of death as severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation, the dislocation of the spine in the neck.
The mom recalled the initial phone call, saying, “Each one of the people that was there with her was telling different stories,” questioning why the six people staying in the villa waited to call her “until the very last minute.”
Shanquella Robinson’s death certificate (Twitter/Gossip in the City Tea)
The general manager of the Fundadores Beach Club, Karla Ponce, said in a statement “the group of vacationers related to the case never visited this beach club facilities during their stay,” suggesting the group was partying in their villa.
She added, “We deeply regret this unfortunate situation and trust it will come to the right closure.”
The villa mates also returned back to the United States, leaving their friend with Mexican authorities. Eventually, the family paid $6,000 to have Robinson’s remains shipped back home two weeks later, arriving on Thursday, Nov. 10.
On Wednesday, Nov. 16, a video surfaced on social media showing one of the female villa mates attacking Robinson. Little has been publicly released about the video, other than Robinson’s mother confirming the people in the footage all went on the trip and that she believes it was taken during the trip.
The naked woman in the video, believed to be Robinson, is being savagely beaten. One male voice is heard saying to Robinson, “Quella, can you at least fight back?” Another voice, which appears to be female, can be heard snapping back, “No.”
