TOLEDO, Ohio (WOWO) — The parents of a Wilberforce University freshman who died following an alleged hazing incident are speaking publicly about their daughter’s life and calling for changes they hope will prevent another family from experiencing the same loss. Savanna Jones was 18, a graduate o f Scott High School in Toledo and a freshman at Wilberforce University when she died April 30. Her parents, Lareiva and Jaron Jackson, told WTOL 11 they want their daughter to be remembered for who she was — a kind and generous young woman who loved music, movies, dancing and spending time with friends and family. “She was very kind, very generous,” Lareiva Jackson said. “When God said love thy neighbor, she took that to the extreme.” Her mother recalled a time when one of Savanna’s friends said her family could not afford to buy her anything for her birthday. Savanna responded by asking her parents to take her shopping so she could buy something for her friend. Her father said Savanna had a way of brightening a room whenever she walked into it. “If you knew her, you loved her,” Jaron Jackson said. “When she walked into the room, her smile … it lit up the room.” He also remembers something much more personal. “She was my movie date. That was my movie person,” he said. Now, those memories are part of what the family is trying to hold onto while also seeking answers about what happened to their daughter. The family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wilberforce University and others. The lawsuit alleges that Savanna died after an alcohol-related hazing event involving a group known as the “Turtles.” The allegations have not been proven in court. According to the family’s attorney, Rex Elliott, the lawsuit alleges that the group’s initiation process involved drinking alcohol while participants answered questions. Elliott said Savanna allegedly became so intoxicated that she could no longer stand. The lawsuit alleges she was taken back to her dormitory rather than being taken to a hospital. “She was completely incoherent and simply dropped off at her dorm instead of taken to a hospital,” Elliott said. Elliott described the allegations as “reprehensible” and said the lawsuit will also examine what university employees knew about the organization and its activities. “This was right under their nose,” he said. Savanna’s parents said they had no knowledge of the group before their daughter’s death. “Nothing whatsoever,” Jaron Jackson said. “Had no idea.” Savanna had not always been certain she would attend college. Her mother said her daughter’s involvement in music at Scott High School helped change that. Savanna began playing violin in sixth grade and later learned trombone because she wanted to join the school band. “She snuck and learned how to play the trombone because she wanted to be in the band,” her mother said. “She actually was really good at it.” Her father said he expected his daughter to graduate from college and make her family proud. “I always knew that one day my daughter was going to graduate from college,” he said. For her mother, sending Savanna away to college was difficult because the two were particularly close. “Savanna was attached to me,” Lareiva Jackson said. “Anywhere that I went, she went.” Still, she believed leaving home for college would help her daughter grow into adulthood. “I also knew that it would help her to develop … to be the woman that she needed to be,” she said. After Savanna died, her parents searched through her phone looking for information that might help them understand what happened. They found a text message in which Savanna appeared to express fear about what she was about to experience. Lareiva Jackson said the message suggested her daughter may have been questioning what she was being asked to do. “I can’t imagine the things that was going through her head at that time,” she said. For her father, the loss has brought both grief and anger. Asked when his anger began, Jaron Jackson said it never really left. “I think for me, it never left,” he said. “As a father, my job is to protect my daughter, and this is not something that a father wants to hear.” Elliott said Savanna should now be preparing to return to Wilberforce for her sophomore year. “Savanna Jones should be entering her sophomore year,” Elliott said. “Her mom and dad should be dropping her off and hugging her and kissing her … she should not be gone.” The family has also raised concerns about how Wilberforce communicated with them following Savanna’s death. Lareiva Jackson said the first notification she received came from Toledo police rather than the university. “I would have thought that when I got the phone call, it wasn’t even from Wilberforce,” she said. “It was from Toledo police.” The family later traveled to campus to collect Savanna’s belongings. Lareiva Jackson said the family eventually met with the university president, who expressed condolences but told them he could not provide additional information because the case was under investigation. She said the university president also offered to pray for the family. The Jacksons said they have not received the answers or communication they hoped for from the university. “At this point, no, I don’t want to hear from anybody from Wilberforce,” Lareiva Jackson said. Jaron Jackson said the lack of communication has also been difficult. “Just being human, it doesn’t look well as an organization, as a university,” he said. The family says its decision to speak publicly is not simply about seeking answers for Savanna. They want her death to serve as a warning to other students and parents about the dangers associated with hazing. “No parent should have to go through this,” Lareiva Jackson said. “No parent should have to get the phone call to say that, hey, your child has passed away from a hazing situation.” Jaron Jackson said he hopes Savanna’s story prompts parents and students to have difficult conversations about hazing before someone gets hurt. “The hope is that it hit at least one person,” he said. He believes some families began having those conversations after news of Savanna’s death became public. “When the news about our daughter broke, there were many families that sat down that night and had conversations with their children,” he said. Elliott said students should understand that walking away from hazing is not a sign of weakness. “The courageous thing is not to go through this stuff,” Elliott said. “The courageous thing is to walk away and to report it.” “Lives can be saved by doing that.” Savanna’s mother said she supported her daughter’s decision to attend Wilberforce because Savanna was excited about college and her future. Now, she wants the university to make changes. “I’m not saying that it’s not a good school,” Lareiva Jackson said, “but I do feel like things need to change.” The family’s wrongful-death lawsuit remains pending. Elliott said the case has entered the discovery phase, during which attorneys gather evidence and information from the parties involved. The allegations made in the lawsuit remain allegations unless and until they are established in court. For Savanna’s parents, the legal case is only part of what they are seeking. They want people to remember their daughter as more than the circumstances surrounding her death — a young woman who loved music, cared deeply about her friends and family, and was looking forward to her future. They also want her story to serve as a warning that could keep another student from becoming the victim of hazing. The post Family Seeks Answers After 18-Year-Old Wilberforce Student Dies in Alleged Hazing Incident appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less