The family and supporters of Yolna Lubrin took to the streets demanding the Orlando Police Department take another look into Lubrin’s death. Last month she was found hanging from a tree and her death was written off as a suicide but the cops’ conclusion isn’t adding up.
Authorities say they found Lubrin, 30, hanging from a tree in the backyard of a home around 7 a.m. Sept. 28. They said she had no physical injuries beyond the bruise marks on her neck caused by the hanging. Police also found she had a history of mental illness and concluded based off witness statements and her phone content that she was suicidal.
However, her family believes there was foul-play involved.
The report says the family demanded the department test the remains for sexual assault because her body was found partially nude. Also, they say she was unfamiliar with the neighborhood she was found in. They told reporters they are awaiting the results from an independent autopsy. The Root filed a public records request for more information from the OPD.
“She didn’t put herself there. Someone had to have put her there,” said Pastor Carl Soto, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Restoration Inc. via WESH. “Investigate all individuals who lived or occupied the home of where Ms. Lubrin’s body was found.”
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Advocates supporting Lubrin’s family at the protest say the investigation by police has not been transparent.
They point to details in the case they believe have been overlooked such as Lubrin’s car, which they say was vandalized. People close to her also question whether Lubrin was in a state of emotional distress before her death. They recount how she was a week away from her birthday and in the process of moving to Miami.
“It’s not that we’re saying that mental health isn’t real and that people don’t take their lives,” said Miles Mulrain, an advocate who runs local nonprofit Let Your Voice Be Heard. “Unfortunately we do understand that. It’s the lackluster investigation and so many holes and discrepancies in this situation.”
The last we heard of the suspicious suicide of a Black woman was when Sandra Bland was found hanging from a plastic bag in her jail cell following a traffic stop in 2015. To this day, her death is still disputed based on claims from her family that she was in good spirits around the time of her death.