College Student Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances After Uber Driver Brings Her To Hospital
Ciaya Jordan Whetstone was out with friends in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras hours before her death.
ABC News 4 [screenshot]
Police in Louisiana launched an investigation after an Uber driver brought a college student to a hospital and she died a short time later, police said.
On the evening of Feb. 18, University of New Orleans junior, Ciaya Jordan Whetstone, 21, went out to a Metairie bar to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Juliete Orr said her coworker friend left her around 8:30 p.m. to go to a different bar before heading to her boyfriend’s house, according to the New Orleans Advocate.
During the night, Orr told the publication, Whetstone ordered an Uber ride so she could go to her apartment to check on her dog.
Once at her residence, Orr’s roommate, Reese White, told the Advocate that Orr said the waiting Uber driver was a friend and she was going with him to “find her car.”
“I tried to convince her not to go,” White recalled.
Roberto Torres, another friend and coworker, said he called Whetstone at about 1:30 a.m. and allegedly heard the driver ask the college student if she “liked to party.”
Whetstone told Torres she would call him back later, but he never heard from her again.
According to medical staff, the psychology student was blue and she had dilated, fixed pupils but had suffered no apparent injuries when a man claiming to be an Uber driver brought her to New Orleans East Hospital in a 2019 Toyota Camry around 6:41 a.m., WCIV reported, citing a police report.
An emergency room doctor declared Whetstone dead at 7:07 a.m.
“Ciaya had been at a Mardi Gras parade, and there's just a big time gap until when [the Uber driver] dropped her off,” Whetstone’s cousin, Grace Sutton, told WCIV. “So we don't really know. I just pray she didn't suffer and I just hope we get the justice she deserves.”
Detectives were unable to locate the driver at his last known address, police said in the report.
In a statement obtained by WCIV, Uber said the company had since deactivated the driver’s account and they’ve launched an internal investigation into the matter.
“Our thoughts are with Ciaya Whetstone’s family as they grieve the loss of their daughter,” the spokesperson said. “We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
Loved ones held a funeral for Whetstone in Smoaks, South Carolina, on Feb. 28.
Autopsy results are pending and no arrests have been made.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the NOPD Homicide Unit at (504) 658-5300 or Crime Stoppers at (504) 822-1111.
