NEW ORLEANS — Friends and family of a 21-year-old University of New Orleans student are trying to figure out what happened early Saturday morning leading to her death. Ciaya Whetstone was taken to New Orleans East Hospital by someone before 7 a.m. Saturday and she was pronounced dead, according to NOPD. Police are investigating the incident as an unclassified death.
Whetstone was known for her outgoing, friendly personality. Her friends tell us she moved to New Orleans from South Carolina in August to attend UNO.
"She loved it here. She loved it here so much," said Reese White who met Whetstone in August when they were matched as roommates. They quickly became good friends.
"Ciaya saw the good in everybody and she was a very friendly person. She made friends everywhere she went," White said.
Julia Brooker called Whetstone one of her best friends.
"She is extremely uplifting, extroverted person," Brooker said. "She called me her soul sister."
Whetstone's friends tell us she attended her first Mardi Gras parade Friday in Metairie and later went to a bar. The timeline following is unclear. Her friends know she took an Uber to her apartment in the middle of the night. White was already home when she arrived.
"She came home around 1 something she said she was changing her shirt," White said.
According to White, Whetstone's Uber drive came inside the apartment with her.
"She said, 'This is my friend, Reese. I just met him.' I said, 'You need to stop getting in the car with strangers,' but she said he was her Uber driver," White said.
White said they left again after only a few minutes.
"I tried to convince her before she left back out to stay home," White said.
According to NOPD, Whenstone arrived at the New Orleans East Hospital just before 7 a.m. Saturday via private conveyance, meaning by a private vehicle, not an ambulance. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. NOPD has not confirmed who drove her there.
"I'm not sure what happened. I think that’s what makes it worse because it's an open question of what happened to her?" White said.
At this point, NOPD is investigating the incident as an unclassified death and detectives have not said if they suspect foul play.
"I don’t want to go home because I feel like when I go home, she's not going to be there," White said.
An Uber spokesperson released a statement saying, "Our thoughts are with Ciaya Whetstone’s family as they grieve the loss of their daughter. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation."
Uber has removed the driver's access from the ride share app as the incident is being investigated.
Uber reminds drivers and riders they can report any incident or accident via the app or through Uber's Safety Incident Reporting line.
The coroner said Whetstone's cause and manner of death is still under investigation.
Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to contact NOPD Homicide Unit detectives at 504-658-5300 or to call anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111.