NEW ORLEANS — Nearly two weeks after UNO Student Ciaya Whetstone died at a New Orleans hospital under unknown circumstances, her mother Miranda Ferrand told local media outlets she still hasn't gotten the answers she needs.
Whetstone was taken to New Orleans East Hospital by someone before 7 a.m. on Feb. 18, and she was pronounced dead, according to NOPD. Police are investigating the incident as an unclassified death.
Her friends say she left home with her Uber driver shortly after arriving— around 1 a.m. Feb. 18
"No information from the police. No information from the hospital about the cause of the death of her daughter. No information from Uber on the background of this driver —his route," Atlanta-based attorney L. Chris Stewart said. "For two weeks, they've had to suffer. They don't know if she was sexually assaulted. They don't know if she was drugged. They don't know anything."
That's why attorneys are getting involved, Stewart said.
The NOPD issued a statement shortly after the press conference to say that they are investigating the "unclassified death" and that they have been cooperating and communicating with Whetstone's biological father and will now do the same with the mother.
"After receiving contact information today for the victim's biological mother, detectives will be meeting with her today to discuss the status of the investigation," said a statement from the NOPD.
The statement also said that no cause of death had yet been received from the coroner's office.
Anyone with additional information that can help with the investigation is asked to contact NOPD Seventh District detectives at 504-658-6070 or to call anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.
Flanked by a handful of attorneys, Ferrand told reporters she was speaking on behalf of her daughter in her Thursday morning plea for answers.
"She's been with me since I was 18 years old. She is my best friend," Ferrand said stifling tears near UNO's campus. "I brought her here to graduate— not to pack her up, to bury her. I am asking anyone that knows anything about what happened to my daughter to please come forward. I am not going to stop until I figure out what happened to my daughter."
Ferrand got more information about what happened to her daughter from online news than from the police, Uber, or the hospital.
"We're not asking for answers anymore— we are demanding answers. What happened to their daughter," he said. "Now."
S.C. State Legislature Justin Bamberg, who is also an attorney, came to New Orleans to stand by Whetston's mother during the Thursday morning press conference.
"They deserve answers. No one is accusing anyone of anything, but we need to know what happened," Bamberg said.
Bamberg said the Uber driver was overheard asking Ciaya "Do you like to party?"
"(Ridesharing) is not a way to meet people. This is not a way to find friends. This is not a way to have conversations with our inebriated young women, and then go off around the city with them," Bamberg said. "We need to look at policies here. It serves a lot of great purposes."
One of the questions asked during the press conference was: Are Uber & Lyft doing everything they can to ensure that their policies are sound?
Bamberg suggested that had rideshare drivers been mandated to have a camera in their vehicles, answers would be more available.
"We'd be able to pull the video and see what was talked about," Bamberg said. "Uber is big— Lyft is big, but no one is bigger than the law. People like us to make the law."
Louisiana State Representative Royce Duplessis for District 39 also spoke at the conference.
"We can't point any blame at this time because we don't know what happened," the Louisiana state representative said. "What we do know is what should and should not happen."
A rideshare driver shouldn't be their passenger's tour guide, Duplessis said. Rideshare drivers don't get a green light to build a personal relationship with their passengers as soon as the ride ends.
"If you played no role in this then disclose that information to us, or you'll see a lawsuit by next week," the Atlanta-based attorney said. "Because that seems to be the only way to get an answer from Uber. Because we trust putting our loved ones in your vehicles every day."