ATLANTA — The mother of a young woman who died while in the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office is letting her voice be heard for the first time.
Her daughter, 19-year-old Noni Battiste-Kosok passed away on July 11 while being held at the Atlanta City Detention Center, a facility operated by the the Fulton County Sheriff.
On Thursday, the woman's family and attorneys held a press conference pleading with officials for answers about the death, wondering how their loved one could walk into the jail healthy and die while in custody.
“I don’t understand why it’s taking so long to get this information,” said Shashu Battiste, Noni's mom.
Battiste said she is frustrated with the process to getting details from the Fulton County Sheriff's Office about the death of her daughter. Battiste-Kosoko died just days after her birthday.
“My daughter wanted to go to college. She wanted to run track. She wanted to dance. She could sing, she could write. She was a wonderful friend," Battiste said fighting back tears. "She was there for you if you needed her. And I need her now. And since she's not here, I need answers to why my child is gone."
According to jail records, Battiste-Kosoko was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on another misdemeanor charge out of Miami. But despite what her attorney calls a minor infraction, she was held without bail for roughly 60 days prior to her death on July 11.
“People who are in custody (that) die under suspicious circumstances, it’s been my experience that the administrators kind of string it out. That’s just what I’ve experienced," Dr. Rod Edmond, one of the family's attorneys said. "When I say string it out, I’ve seen situations where the information was available and for whatever reason they just say the situation is under investigation."
Edmond announced that they've notified the county that they plan to file a lawsuit.
As for Noni’s mom, the urn that now holds her ashes is all she has left.
“Physically there was nothing wrong with my daughter to my knowledge when I last saw her, so I’m just confused, you know, how a 19-year-old dies in jail,” Battiste said.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office released a statement Thursday afternoon that said:
"Battiste-Kosoko was found in her cell by herself with no obvious signs of injury..."