The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seal at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. The FBI has come under intense political criticism for executing a search warrant on Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and is confronting threats that don't appear to be subsiding, including an armed man who attacked the bureau's Cincinnati field office. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The FBI Field Office in Charlotte says it has opened up an investigation into the death of a local resident, Shanquella Robinson, who died late last month in Cabo San Lucas, with the friends she traveled with being accused of involvement in her death facing possible extradition to Mexico for their alleged crimes.
The agency confirmed the above information to The Shade Room on Monday, but declined to offer any further comment.
The news comes as friends, family and followers of Shanquella’s story on social media have demanded justice ever since a damning fight video emerged showing Robinson being brutally beaten by one “friend,” Dejahnae Jackson, who attended the Mexico trip with her, The Shade Room reported last week.
Now, the upwards of six friends who went on the trip with Shanquella could face charges in connection to her death, with U.S. state officials reportedly giving Mexico permission to extradite everyone involved to a Mexican prison facility pending their potential arrest.
“They will have to answer to Mexican Law,” a police officer investigating the case told Queen City News, adding that if they find evidence that leads to arrests, they will have the authority to bring the group back to Mexico.
The police officer told the outlet that they were in contact with the FBI and consulate, and urged anyone with information about this case to contact the local FBI office in Charlotte.
“Due to the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment,” the FBI Charlotte Field Office told The Shade Room on Monday.
One friend in particular, identified as Dejanae Jackson, appeared to be delivering the fatal beating in the video, will likely be one of those friends facing extradition in the coming weeks, as authorities continue to investigate the 25-year-old’s tragic death.
Shanquella’s death last month has left her family seeking answers, and having been frustrated by police initially insisting there was no foul play involved.
Meanwhile, her family has maintained she died of a broken neck, likely during the horrific assault captured and revealed on video.
Robinson’s mother, Salamondra, stated last week that an autopsy found her daughter has suffered a violent death, and now her family claims Shanquella’s friends are to blame after the leaked video seemingly showed her being viciously assaulted by one of her friends.
“When the autopsy came back, they said it didn’t have anything to do with the alcohol,” Salamondra Robinson claimed, according to WNCT.
“ [They] said that she had a broken neck and her spine in the back was cracked. She had been beaten.”
Robinson’s family only learned of the autopsy report after making calls to the FBI and Mexican authorities, after Shanquella’s friends she had traveled with made panicked phone calls not long after their arrival.
“Each one of the people that was there with her was telling different stories,” Salamondra said. “They said she wasn’t feeling well. She had alcohol poisoning. They couldn’t get a pulse.”
But U.S. State Department officials in Mexico initially denied that her death was a murder, despite damning video showing Shanquella being assaulted, while claiming a police investigation did not show any signs of foul play.
Now, a State Department official is helping Shanquella’s family get access to Mexican law enforcement reports. According to WNCT, the family is also hiring a private investigator to look into the case.
Shanquella died within a day of arriving in Mexico shortly after making her last phone call to her mother.
She reportedly told her mother that their party “had a chef. They were getting ready to eat. They were eating tacos or a salad or something, and I said, ‘OK. I love you. Have a good night, and I will talk to you tomorrow.’”
Hundreds turned up at a memorial service for Shanquella’s on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe account has since been set up by Robinson’s sister, and has already reached over $356,000 including a generous donation of $65,000 from NBA star and former North Carolina resident, Duke basketball player Kyrie Irving.
“We face a tremendous unexpected financial burden and a great deal of pain as we prepare to lay my sister to rest. Any support you can contribute to our legal fees and other critical expenses is greatly appreciated,” the fundraiser states.
Those interested in donating can do so here.
