Louisiana officials said it could take up to two months for an autopsy to determine how a college student died on Saturday.
University of New Orleans student Ciaya Whetstone, 21, died upon being taken to the hospital just before 7 a.m. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Whetstone got an Uber hours before her death, but police have not officially confirmed if the rideshare company transported her to the hospital.
Despite this, an Uber spokesperson told the news outlet that the driver has been banned from the app until the company speaks with investigators.
Whetstone went to parades in Metairie and spent the night out with friends before her mysterious death. According to WRDW, Whetstone’s co-worker claimed Whetstone got into an Uber at around 1 a.m. and was not seen or heard from until she turned up at the hospital.
Whetstone’s friend, Juliet Orr, told The Times-Picayune that she was at the parades with Whetstone but Whetstone left at around 8:30 p.m. Orr claimed Whetstone went to the bar with friends before another friend took her to her boyfriend’s home in Harahan.
Orr said that in the middle of the night, Whetstone got an Uber because she wanted to go home to check on her dog. The Uber driver waited outside Whetstone’s apartment while she checked on her dog, Orr told The Times-Picayune.
Whetstone’s roommate reportedly tried to tell Whetstone to stay but Whetstone was adamant that the Uber driver was a friend and she was leaving with him to locate her car. The roommate told the news outlet that Whetstone appeared intoxicated at the time.
Meanwhile, another friend told The Times-Picayune that he called Whetstone and overheard the driver ask Whetstone “do you like to party?” Whetstone told the friend that she would call him back, but the friend repeatedly called her and nobody answered.
New Orleans police said Whetstone’s death remains unclassified. It is also unclear who took Whetstone to the hospital on Saturday.
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[Featured image: Ciaya Whetstone/Facebook]
