The mother of Tyre Sampson, , says she does not know a woman claiming in media interviews to be her deceased son’s cousin.
Shay Johnson, who identified herself as Tyre’s cousin, told numerous media outlets she spoke with Tyre moments before he boarded the Orlando Free Fall on March 24 while at ICON Park. In interviews, Johnson claimed Tyre had told her he had been turned away from two other rides because of his size.
Johnson had been seen holding news conferences, collecting petition signatures to demolish the ride and leading prayer vigils outside the Free Fall ride following Tyre’s death.
Yet, the deceased teen’s mother, and entire family, say they do not know the woman.
Tyre’s mother told Orange County detectives ‘she does not know who Shay Johnson is,’ a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told the
Attorney’s representing the teen’s family told that no one in the family knew Johnson.
Detectives have since looked into who Johnson is, but no report has been produced and no arrest in pending.
A cellphone number Johnson gave the Sentinel was no longer in service on Thursday. Late on Thursday, Johnson’s employer, Flash Dancer’s Bar in Orlando, said in a statement that they terminated her employment.
The shocking revelation comes as officials in Florida continue to search for a cause to the teen’s tragic death.
On Friday, Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried promised a ‘complete and thorough investigation’ involving an outside forensic engineering firm to help determine how Tyre fell to his death.
‘We are fully committed to finding out what happened so we can better prevent such tragedies from happening in the future – and that’s why we will not be jumping to any conclusions before the information is provided to us and we know all the facts,’ Fried said.
Sampson was visiting Orlando with a friend’s family from St. Louis, Missouri, according to his family. The teen, who according to his father was 6’5″ and weighed 340 pounds, slipped out of the ride, which takes passengers up into the air and drops them 400 feet.
‘Words can’t say how we feel,’ said John Stine, the director of sales and marketing for the Slingshot Group of Companies, the owner and operator of the ride. ‘Our hearts go out to the family of this young man and that’s all we can say at this time.’
An unverified video of the moment Tyre fell out of the ride has been circulating on social media sites such as Twitter and Reddit.
It’s unclear if anyone will face charges following his death. The ride is currently closed as the accident is being investigated.
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