'Not Giving Up': Shanquella Robinson's Family Urges White House Officials to Push Forward With Extradition Process of American Suspect
Oct. 9 2023, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
The family of Shanquella Robinson remains determined to seek justice after she died during a trip to Mexico last October, their attorney Sue-Ann Robinson told RadarOnline.com, urging White House officials to take action.
"Currently, actively and since April, we have been requesting the FBI's documents because the case is closed," Sue-Ann said, citing how it contradicts the response her family received during a follow-up inquiry. "We have been advised, in writing ... that they cannot release the documents because the case is actively being investigated."
Shanquella had traveled to San Jose Del Cabo late last year and only knew one person on the trip. Less than 24 hours after the group landed, she was tragically found dead. Three of the travel mates told her mother she died of alcohol poisoning before there were clues pointing to foul play.
As RadarOnline.com reported, U.S. investigators said they found no evidence to support filing federal charges in the death of the 25-year-old from Charlotte earlier this year.
"Based on the results of the autopsy and after a careful deliberation and review of the investigative materials by both U.S. Attorneys' Offices, federal prosecutors informed Ms. Robinson's family today that the available evidence does not support a federal prosecution," a statement from authorities read at the time.
An autopsy conducted in North Carolina by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner's Office had inconsistencies with a previous autopsy conducted in Mexico, which labeled the cause of death a severe spinal cord or neck injury.
"The discrepancy with the autopsy has to do with the fact that the FBI had local Mecklenburg County coroner do an autopsy after the body had already been embalmed for transport for burial," Sue-Ann told RadarOnline.com. "Of course, it's different."
Now that the family wants to view the file to see how the FBI investigated the case, the Robinsons are eager to know: are they done or not?
"The second issue [we are currently facing] is the political process that is getting a high level of diplomatic intervention," Sue-Ann told RadarOnline.com exclusively. "The family has no support from local representatives, no support from state senators, nothing other than us which is something... I'm talking about they have local state reps, congress members, that their purpose is to serve as the liaison for their constituents, that aren't doing one single thing."
"We're working on it," she continued. "The actual politicians that are supposed to be doing it are doing nothing."
Sue-Ann explained, "The third thing is, there are a lot of people online making up stories about Shanquella, and her family, and her mom, and her sister, what they do, and what the case is really about ... and not based anywhere in fact at all."
"It's just literally people, like trolls, and random people that have come across different things and come up with their theories," the family attorney added.
As for what led up to Shanquella's tragic end, Sue-Ann noted that she went on the trip last minute because others had dropped out. A disturbing video that later emerged showed Shanquella being beaten by one of the travel mates shortly before she died.
Local prosecutors in the state of Baja California Sur filed charges late last year against the woman suspected of killing Shanquella on October 29, issuing an arrest warrant for the unnamed suspect, who had already left Mexico with other travel companions after she was found deceased.
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Mexican federal prosecutors are trying to get her extradited to face charges, but are still waiting on the United States, Sue-Ann told RadarOnline.com.
"I think the issue that the family has chosen at this time to focus on is: Biden administration, Secretary of State Blinken, can you please send somebody down to the fax machine, open the email, [however you get your info from Mexico], open it up, have it read by the other secretary who takes care of the western hemisphere, and start the extradition process."