CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte man told WCNC Charlotte that his mother died under mysterious circumstances while on a Vodou spiritual retreat in Haiti.
Timothy Jackson said his mother, Dana Jackson, went to Haiti on July 1 and was supposed to return on July 26, but that did not happen. WCNC Charlotte's Austin Walker spoke to Timothy about his mother's death and he said things are not adding up.
It was a trip Timothy was hesitant to support. He was uneasy about the trip altogether but his mom was persistent. Dana Jackson had been researching Vodou practices for four years and was ready to take the next step - she wanted to become a priestess and signed up for a retreat in Haiti.
After she booked her ticket from Charlotte to Miami to Haiti, her son was worried about the unstable political climate in Haiti but the two agreed they would talk as much as possible.
“We talked and [she] told me she was fine once they got there ... we would talk once a day or even more," Timothy said.
But one day, the talking stopped abruptly.
"The last text I received from her was on July 12. They were going to church the following day and [she said] to pray for her," Jackson said. "I knew at this last part of the ceremony she wouldn’t have access to her phone. I did research and that was common.”
Dana told Timothy she would message him on July 21.
"On [July] 21, I waited and waited," Jackson said. "Then on [July] 22 I had an eerie feeling and I had no messages on WhatsApp.
Timothy received a call from his grandfather on July 22. His grandfather told Timothy his mother was dead.
“I pulled up her itinerary and called the lady in charge, Manbo Maude, and I asked her what happened," Timothy said. "They asked me how much I knew. Then they said she had gone through the ritual but got sick and had a stroke ... then she said seizures ... then, she changed it up and said she had an asthma attack."
Timothy said he knew something was up with the conflicting stories since his mom took her health very seriously and would have gone to the hospital.
Timothy received his mother's death certificate and there were additional red flags. The certificate was messy and missing information, like the official cause of death.
Also, Timothy noticed some things didn't add up on the timeline and learned his mother's body had been moved around the island three times and was unaware of where she was.
"I feel like they manipulated and lied to my mom and I feel like I can’t be quiet about it anymore," Jackson said.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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