Shona Garner, the mother of 17-year-old Alegend Jones, who died after allegedly being body-slammed by a male counselor in a Tennessee group home, is searching for answers.
According to Inside Edition, Garner said Youth Villages in Bartlett, Tennessee, haven’t answered questions about her daughter’s November 2023 death after she sent Alegend to the nonprofit to get help. Alegend had been diagnosed with PTSD, manic depression, and bipolar disorder stemming from a sexual assault she experienced as a child.
Alegend was allegedly asked to remove her clothing in front of two male counselors at the care facility. According to a statement from attorney Benjamin Crump during a Nov. 29 news conference, things turned horrific when the teen refused to undress.
“It is alleged that over a dozen counselors at Youth Villages assaulted and battered this teenage child,” Crump said. “We don’t know if there’s video that captured the interactions between the counselors, who were supposed to be trained to deal with troubled youth, and this teenager, Shona’s baby. But what we do know is whatever transpired ended up with the neurologists telling Shona that they believed the cause of death is that she died from a brain bleed.”
Garner was informed by witnesses that her daughter was body-slammed before the police were called. Witnesses told Crump that Jones was “brutally assaulted, battered and choked” before she was taken to the hospital where she died.
Crump released a statement that demanded a full investigation into the events leading to the death of the teen at the Youth Villages facility. The attorney stated that the girl’s family deserves answers and justice regarding the “heinous acts” that allegedly occurred. He also called for the public release of all footage from Youth Villages related to this incident.
