ATLANTA — A family is pushing for answers after their 19-year-old loved one died at the City of Atlanta Detention Center last month.
Noni Battiste-Kosoko was found unresponsive in her cell during dinner rounds on the evening of July 11, according to a news release issued the following day by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office about her death. The teen was being housed at ACDC in an area controlled by the sheriff's office.
The family of the teen spoke, along with lawyers, at a press conference on Thursday about their attempt to gather information, confused by how the teen walked into the jail healthy and later died in custody
Lawyers pointed to previous issues regarding those incarcerated in Fulton County. One of the attorneys, Dr. Rod Edmond, said he knew the Battiste family since he was 12 and met Noni once as a child.
While holding back tears, Noni's mother, Shashu, stated her daughter was "premature when she came into this world and she left prematurely."
She went on to describe Noni as someone who "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, she was there for you...I need answers to why my child is gone."
11Alive has reached out to the Fulton County medical examiner and are told autopsy results are still pending. On Wednesday, we contacted the sheriff's office and a spokesperson said there were no further details to share as they are also waiting on those results.
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More on the case
When Battiste-Kosoko was located unresponsive, the sheriff's office said medical professionals responded along with Atlanta Fire Rescue; the teen was then pronounced dead.
"Battiste-Kosoko was found in her cell by herself with no obvious signs of injury," the sheriff's office said last month in the news release.
11Alive talked with a lawyer for the family Wednesday, who said he's pressing for more answers.
"There was simply no reason for the family to be sitting here struggling with these type of questions and struggling to understand this situation," said Attorney Sho Watson.
Noni Battiste-Kosoko was being held on a misdemeanor bench warrant at the detention center. She was in custody since May, according to a statement from the Fulton County Sheriff's Office. The 19-year-old was originally from Miami and moved to Atlanta for a "change of scenery," according to the family's lawyer.
“My child was arrested for a misdemeanor and died in jail,” said Shashu Battiste in a news release. “And, we want answers!”
The family said Battiste-Kosoku had turned 19 just days before she died.
Watson said she did battle with her mental health, but the family still is unaware of how she died.
The sheriff's office said last month that an autopsy is being performed and that authorities would conduct a death investigation.
While Battiste-Kosoku died at ACDC, she was still considered a Fulton County inmate as the area where she was being housed was controlled by the sheriff's office. The sheriff and Fulton County officials have been in the spotlight in recent months after one family clamed their loved one was eaten alive by bed bugs at the Fulton County Jail. A settlement was announced in that case last week. The Department of Justice is conducting a civil investigation into the Fulton County Jail conditions.