Imani Mohammed-Denny said her family had a system in place to determine the whereabouts of her daughter, Aseelah Mohammed, in case she couldn’t be reached.
That moment came to pass last December. Mohammed’s family called around and worked on filing a missing person’s report when two detectives knocked on the door at Mohammed-Denny’s North Carolina home.
Her daughter was found dead in New Haven.
“She wasn't ready to die,” Mohammed-Denny said. “She had so much more life to live.”
Mohammed-Denny said she was told by police she was a sex worker looking for drugs. She believes her daughter was murdered at Liberty Community Services George Street location. The facility offers outreach assistance to the homeless residents.
Mohammed-Denny said she believes her daughter was killed because surveillance video shows a man dragging her body down stairs at the facility.
She says New Haven Police are not treating her daughter’s death as a murder and have been disrespectful. Mohammed-Denny believes her daughter’s race as a Black woman is a factor in the police department’s handling of the investigation.
Mohammed-Denny singled out a particular detective for criticism, saying the employee told family members different stories about the progress of the investigation.
New Haven police issued a statement offering condolences but pushed back on Mohammed-Denny's comments.
“We must respectfully refute some of Ms. Denny's claims. Our investigation has been conducted in a professional manner and was in no way affected by Aseelah’s race, mental health diagnoses, or substance use issues," the statement said.
The state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner stated the cause of death was undetermined, but the New Haven Independent has reported the office stated her body had blunt force trauma and bruising.
Conflicting reports stated the building in which she was found was owned by Yale University, but Yale confirmed to Connecticut Public it does not own the building. The site is run by Liberty Community Services. Executive Director Tim Pettinelli issued a statement, saying the organization extends its condolences to Mohammed's family and friends.
"Liberty is aware of this very serious matter and the investigation conducted by the New Haven Police Department and will continue to cooperate with the investigation concerning her death,” Pettinelli said.
A rally calling for a thorough investigation into Mohammed’s death was held outside of New Haven police. That’s where Jewu Richardson, a member of the Civilian Review Board, said he routinely gets complaints about police outreach.
“We get these complaints all the time on how the police treat people in our community,” Richardson said. "And a lot of times those complaints are written off all the time."
Mohammed-Denny said there are plans this week to hold a follow-up protest at the site of her daughter’s death.
