An arrest warrant has been issued for the boyfriend of a North Carolina woman found dead while on vacation in Mexico

CNN
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Mexican prosecutors have obtained an arrest warrant for a friend of a North Carolina woman found dead last month while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas and on Thursday called the death the result of a “direct attack.”

Shankella Robinson, 25, was traveling with college friends from Winston-Salem State University when she was found dead at a vacation rental, her father, Bernard Robinson, said.

Robinson, with six friends, arrived Oct. 28 in Mexico, according to a statement Thursday from Mexican prosecutors working on the extradition process with the country’s attorney general and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Evidence showed the death was the result of a “direct attack, not an accident” and involved one of the victim’s girlfriends, prosecutors said.

Mexican authorities did not name the suspect, but confirmed that she is an American citizen believed to be in the United States. No one has been charged in the case and authorities have not released the names of Robinson’s friends.

CNN has reached out to the US State Department, the FBI and the US Department of Justice for comment.

Extradition proceedings are underway for the suspect, Baja California Southern District Attorney General in Mexico, Daniel de la Rosa, local media said on Wednesday.

“An arrest warrant has already been issued for the crime of femicide to the detriment of the victim and against the alleged perpetrator, her friend,” de la Rosa said on Wednesday.

The death was not the result of an “altercation” but of “direct aggression done by this person,” de la Rosa said.

“We are already doing all the relevant procedures, both the Interpol file and the extradition request,” he said.

Robinson last spoke to her mother, Salamondra, on the phone on the morning of Oct. 28, her father told CNN last week. The next day, Shankella Robinson was found dead in her vacation home, US and Mexican authorities said.

The cause of death was “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” which is instability or excessive movement in the uppermost vertebrae of the neck, according to a copy of her death certificate obtained by CNN affiliate WBTV. She was found unconscious in the living room of the rental residence on Oct. 29, the document states.

The death certificate classified Robinson’s death as “accidental or violent,” noting that the approximate time between injury and death was 15 minutes.

A video posted online appears to show a physical altercation in a room between Robinson and another person. It is not clear when the video was taken or if it depicts the moment she suffered the fatal injury.

The video shows Robinson being thrown to the floor and hit on the head, Bernard Robinson confirmed to CNN.

It’s unclear what led to the altercation or how many people were in the room at the time. It is also unclear whether anyone tried to intervene.

The FBI’s Charlotte office has opened an investigation into the death of Shankella Robinson, it confirmed Friday.

Her family was waiting for more information from her friends and Mexican authorities, her father said a week ago.

“You took my only jewel from me,” he told CNN by phone. “You made a big hole in my heart. All I can do is fight for her; I can’t let her die in vain.