MEMPHIS, Tenn — Attorney Ben Crump and the mother of Alegend Jones, the teen who died after an incident at Youth Villages over a month ago, continued to demand answers to Jones' death at a news conference Wednesday, Dec. 27.
Jones' mother and attorney Ben Crump watched different video clips of the incident they claim led to Jones' death. Crump said the video shows counselors restraining Jones at the Shelby County Health Department, and he claims Youth Villages said these actions were justifiable.
Crump alleges that whatever they did led to the 17-year-old's death and that not even an hour after returning to Youth Villages, paramedics were called because Jones fell unconscious.
According to Crump, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office is considering criminal charges for some of these Youth Villages counselors. We've reached out to the D.A.'s office to confirm this but have not heard back at this time.
On Thursday, Dec. 21, Crump said Jones was assaulted, battered, and choked. He presented medical records, claiming Jones experienced brain compression, among other injuries like cerebral edema and rhabdomyolysis, which is a rare condition often seen in people who have suffered major injuries or trauma, though the condition can also have other causes.
In a statement on Wednesday, Dec. 27, a Youth Villages spokesperson said there were no abusive or inappropriate actions toward the teen. The Youth Villages spokesperson also said they offered to meet with the family's attorney to review relevant video, but the offer was declined.
"Unfortunately, Ben Crump continues to make false and misleading statements, which has been the case since this tragic loss of a child," the statement said. "We are waiting for the autopsy report before commenting on anything medical."