Police are investigating the death of a 21-year-old student who was pronounced dead after being dropped off at a New Orleans hospital.
Ciaya Jordan Whetstone, a student at the University of New Orleans, was allegedly dumped at New Orleans East Hospital at around 6.54am on Saturday following a night out.
She was taken inside and pronounced dead, police told The Independent, and the department has appealed for help finding out what happened.
Friends of Ciaya told NOLA that she had been out partying on Friday when she decided to take an Uber from her boyfriend’s apartment to her home at about 8.30pm to check on her dog.
A roommate said Ciaya went back out with the same driver at about 1am despite pleas to stay. She allegedly said she was changing her shirt and was looking for her car in New Orleans and that the driver had been her friend.
Reese White told WWL: “She came home around 1am something she said she was changing her shirt. She said, ‘This is my friend, Reese. I just met him.’ I said, ‘You need to stop getting in the car with strangers,’ but she said he was her Uber driver”.
“I tried to convince her before she left back out to stay home,” the friend added.
Another friend, Roberto Torres, claimed he overheard the Uber driver asking Ciaya if she wanted to party that night, despite Ciaya having already been out to her first pre-Mardi Gras festival that evening, according to reports.
The South Carolina native was not heard from again.
Her body was dropped off at a hospital at around 7am the following morning, as her Buckle co-worker Dawn Gegenheimer told her Facebook friends the following day.
“My heart is broken,” wrote Ms Gegenheimer. “She was my peer at work. She was my newest yoga partner at the gym. She was my friend ... she had the cutest East Coast accent you ever heard.”
Ms Gegenheimer also warned others ahead of next weekend’s festivities in New Orleans: “It’s Mardi Gras in NOLA; Protect your daughters no matter how old they are! That’s all I’ve got.”
New Orleans university president John Nicklow said in a statement: “As a university, few things are more challenging than dealing with the sadness of the death of a student. Our thoughts are with Ciaya’s family and friends. We are offering counseling services to students and employees who need support.”
A statement from Uber meanwhile said: “Our thoughts are with Ciaya Whetstone’s family as they grieve the loss of their daughter. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
The ride-hailing app has reportedly removed the driver, who has not been formally identified, and reminded Uber drivers to abide by health and safety protocols.
The medical examiner in New Orleans is meanwhile working to determine Ciaya’s cause of death, as ABC NEWS 4 and others reported on Monday. Police said the death was currently “unclassified”.
