Family of Shanquella Robinson calls for diplomatic intervention months after woman’s death in Mexico

(WASHINGTON) — The family of Shanquella Robinson is demanding justice more than 125 days after the 25-year-old was found dead at a luxury resort in Mexico.

Robinson’s family and their attorneys gathered at a press conference in Washington, D.C., and demanded a diplomatic intervention by President Joe Biden and the State Department to help assist in her case.

“Fifteen weeks and three days with all this visual evidence. Nobody has been arrested. Nobody has been arrested,” attorney Ben Crump said at the press conference.

The press conference took place in front of Ben Crump Law’s D.C. office on Friday.

“I plan on talking to the highest levels of our government to say Shanquella Robinson is not irrelevant and you all need to give her the same dignity and respect as any citizen in the United States with merit,” Crump said.

Robinson of Charlotte, North Carolina, was found dead in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, in October during a group trip where she and her acquaintances traveled for vacation.

The group allegedly blamed Robinson’s death on alcohol poisoning; however, an autopsy later concluded that she had suffered trauma to her neck and spine.

In a video that went viral shortly after her death, Robinson is seen being severely beaten by another woman in a hotel room while at least two people in the room are watching and recording the incident.

Robinson’s mother Sallamondra Robinson continues to fight for justice for her daughter.

“No one has been arrested,” Sallamondra Robinson said during Friday’s press conference. “The people who knew what happened to my daughter are living their lives. They have returned to work and my family is left to wait and wait to beg for answers.”

Mexican authorities said the investigation is ongoing and an arrest warrant was issued for a suspect in November for the crime of femicide, a form of gender-based violence, according to a local prosecutor.

The warrant was issued for an unnamed alleged perpetrator, “a friend of hers who is the direct aggressor,” said Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, a local prosecutor for the state of Baja California Sur.

“I don’t wish that terrible nightmare on anyone. My daughter was brutally beaten on a video. She was undressed and there was many people that could have helped her. They laugh and joke,” Sallamondra Robinson said.

Mexican authorities have requested that the suspect be extradited from the U.S., but legal experts say it’s unusual for the U.S. to extradite its own citizens.

In a statement to ABC News, a State Department spokesperson declined to confirm or comment on an investigation into Robinson’s death, citing “privacy and law enforcement considerations” and referred questions to the FBI.

“The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas,” the statement said. “The Department of State supports a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident and is closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation.”

An FBI spokesperson told ABC News the bureau’s investigation is ongoing.

“It is now up to the United States Government to make the determination as to whether or not they will prosecute the crime here in the Us. Or whether they’ll extradite this individual back to the Mexican government for prosecution,” said Channa Lloyd, legal analyst and ABC News contributor.

The family is asking for anyone who was involved in the trip to be extradited back to Mexico and face charges.

Sallamondra Robinson wrote a letter on behalf of their family, urging authorities to take swift action.

“I write today to beg you with every ounce of energy I have left in my body — please don’t forget about my daughter Shanquella Robinson,” the letter wrote.

The letter added, “We’re coping the best we can. We are keeping our heads up, we are keeping faith, but it’s hard. We need clarity. We need action. We need intention. And most of all, we need justice for Shanquella.”

ABC News’ Abby Cruz contributed to this report.

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